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Steam News25 February 20264mo ago

Course Correction: Go Ape Ship! Is Going Premium

Hey everyone, Since launching last week, we’ve seen a lot of feedback about how Go Ape Ship! is sold on Steam. Offering a free download + in-game purchase came across as deceptive. In short, we didn’t get it right.

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Full Go Ape Ship! update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

Repeated intro

Hey everyone,

What changed

0 fixes0 additions3 changes0 removals
  • Store
changedSince launching last week, we’ve seen a lot of feedback about how Go Ape Ship! is sold on Steam. Offering a free download + in-game purchase came across as deceptive.
changedThat approach was taken to support our Pay Once, Play Anywhere model, which allows players to access Go Ape Ship! across all available platforms with a single purchase. Making the game a free download with an unlock was how we handled cross-platform ownership behind the scenes.
changedIf you purchase Go Ape Ship! before the premium version releases and want a full refund, we’ve got you—no matter how long you’ve played. Just email help@sound.games with your user ID and we’ll take care of it.

Go Ape Ship! changes

changedSince launching last week, we’ve seen a lot of feedback about how Go Ape Ship! is sold on Steam. Offering a free download + in-game purchase came across as deceptive.
changedThat approach was taken to support our Pay Once, Play Anywhere model, which allows players to access Go Ape Ship! across all available platforms with a single purchase. Making the game a free download with an unlock was how we handled cross-platform ownership behind the scenes.
changedIf you purchase Go Ape Ship! before the premium version releases and want a full refund, we’ve got you—no matter how long you’ve played. Just email help@sound.games with your user ID and we’ll take care of it.

Since launching last week, we’ve seen a lot of feedback about how Go Ape Ship! is sold on Steam. Offering a free download + in-game purchase came across as deceptive.

In short, we didn’t get it right.

That approach was taken to support our Pay Once, Play Anywhere model, which allows players to access Go Ape Ship! across all available platforms with a single purchase. Making the game a free download with an unlock was how we handled cross-platform ownership behind the scenes.

But it’s clear that on Steam, that approach caused confusion, especially around refunds, and that’s on us.

So, here’s what we’re doing:

Go Ape Ship! will soon be sold as an upfront premium game, with a separate free demo if you want to try before you buy. We’re rebuilding our ownership system to support that change.

If you purchase Go Ape Ship! before the premium version releases and want a full refund, we’ve got you—no matter how long you’ve played. Just email help@sound.games with your user ID and we’ll take care of it.

Thanks for jumping in, playing with your friends, and telling us where we got it wrong. We’re a small team and we’re moving fast to make this right.

See you back on the ship soon. Steam post imageSteam post image

Source

Steam News / 25 February 2026

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