Pre-order refunds could force publishers to shift priorities

This week's policy change by Sony to allow people who have purchased pre-orders to get a refund any time up to two weeks after launch (as long as they haven't downloaded or streamed the game) seems like a pretty minor, common-sense sort of change. It's what might get called a "quality of life" fix in a set of patch notes. It's a small thing, but it's nice to know you can cancel your pre-order if someone gifts you the game or it turns out you won't be able to play it at launch for some reason anyway, right? Hardly worth discussing.
If this is a small thing, though, why did it take national authorities in Europe threatening enforcement of EU consumer law to get Sony (and previously Valve) to come in line? Why is Nintendo actually fighting a court battle over this in Germany? If refunding pre-orders is the minor issue it appears on the surface, why has the industry had to be dragged kicking and screaming to this point?

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...rities-opinion