No Man's Sky refunds: A fierce debate has been struck up among the gaming community over NMS

UPDATE ONE: Former Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Strategic Content Director Shahid Ahmad has commented on the recent trend of players seeking No Man's Sky refunds, following a long time playing the game.

Fans on Reddit and Neogaf recently confirmed that they had secured refunds from both Sony and Steam, in some cases claiming they had played the game for over ten hours.

Ahmad has spoken in the past about the NMS project at Sony, and how he had encountered "dark days" during its long development.

The former director has now commented on the recent refund trend and how he saw its impact on the gaming landscape.

"If you’re getting a refund after playing a game for 50 hours you’re a thief," Ahmad wrote on Twitter.

"Here’s the good news: Most players are not thieves. Most players are decent, honest people without whose support there could be no industry.

"We’re not talking about a consumer product in the factory sense. We’re talking about a work of art. You can’t just treat it like a widget.

"As a customer and a player before I was ever a developer, I’d only have asked for my money back if the game was broken at boot time.

"I have no dog in this race. Just my 2p. I’ve been a dev, a pub and a funder for decades, and a player for longer than all of that."

ORIGINAL REFUND REPORT BELOW: