Developers tell people to pirate their games instead of using G2A

[Jtbrig7390]

https://www.pcgamer.com/developers-t...-of-using-g2a/

The key reseller is pissing devs off again.

G2A, the grey market purveyor of game keys, has once again drawn the ire of game developers less than keen for their games to feature on G2A's digital shelves. It's previously clashed with TinyBuild and Gearbox, and a recent ad push has seen it condemned by more developers, with some even saying they'd rather players torrent than buy from G2A.

Publisher Mike Rose noted that a search for his games placed G2A ads for them above the publisher's own link. "We make zero money on our games if people buy them through ads," he said. He recommended people considering buying a game through G2A just pirate it instead.

Others quickly followed, including Action Henk developer Squid Games and Vlambeer's Rami Ismail. It's not just that developers don't get the money you give G2A, they then have to provide extra customer support for people who ended up with fake or deactivated keys

Other developers, including Mode 7's Paul Kilduff-Taylor and Stray Bombay's Chet Faliszek, added to criticism of the key reseller. During the last big wave of criticism, G2A made a public commitment to improving, but it's not convinced developers. "Nothing has changed," said Taylor.

When Developers are outright saying Pirate Our Game don't buy from G2A then you know the site is shit.

[ParanoiD84]

Mostly use fanatical and greenmangaming but never had any issues with G2A personally the few times i used it. And yes sucks that devs dont get money but whatever sometimes you just want it cheap as fuck.

[Jtbrig7390]

Mostly use fanatical and greenmangaming but never had any issues with G2A personally the few times i used it. And yes sucks that devs dont get money but whatever sometimes you just want it cheap as fuck.

So its ok to buy stolen goods because its cheap......

Developers are literally saying pirate their game over using G2A... People supporting G2A is actually costing developers money.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Mostly use fanatical and greenmangaming but never had any issues with G2A personally the few times i used it. And yes sucks that devs dont get money but whatever sometimes you just want it cheap as fuck.

Big publishers might be able to take a hit when G2A screws people over but the indie devs? They can't handle that shit. Regardless, G2A is shady as fuck.

[Aggrophobic]

Mostly use fanatical and greenmangaming but never had any issues with G2A personally the few times i used it. And yes sucks that devs dont get money but whatever sometimes you just want it cheap as fuck.

Or get a job so you don't feel like you have to buy stolen goods.

[Laqweeta]

So its ok to buy stolen goods because its cheap......

Developers are literally saying pirate their game over using G2A... People supporting G2A is actually costing developers money.

I’m sure these developers know copyright laws in the USA...?

[De Lupe]

Mostly use fanatical and greenmangaming but never had any issues with G2A personally the few times i used it. And yes sucks that devs dont get money but whatever sometimes you just want it cheap as fuck.

You do understand that G2A allows people to sell keys purchased with stolen credit cards, right? And then when the stolen funds are reported and returned, it's the developers who have to pay out of their pocket to replace the stolen money. There's a reason the shit on that site is cheap as fuck.

[Mister Cheese]

If it was illegal the site wouldn't exist.

As long as it's there we're just buying products at a cheap rate.

Also, honestly, why should we care what developers say? When is the last time they actually cared about the games or gaming community instead of shoving more DLC and micro-transactions in their games?

Holy shit what?

[Vash The Stampede]

The reason they want you to pirate is because they can fight that in court, while G2A isn't doing anything illegal. Do they have stolen keys? Probably, but then again does Ebay have stolen goods for sale? Yes, yes they do, and there's nothing Ebay can do to fight this. You can apply this to Craigslist as well. The truth is these keys are acquired from other countries who happen to get these games cheaper than what the west typically pays for. Do you really think every country in the world can pay for what is the equivalent of $60 for a game?

Studios would rather have you pirate than buy used games, for the same reasons. G2A is a prime example of what capitalism looks like when it works in your favor. Assuming Xbox Two and PS5 have no physical media and you need to download your games, you only have one choice where to get those games. The argument against G2A is the same argument about people buying CD burners to only pirate music back in the year 2000.

Also why piracy? Well there's plenty of tactics used to get people to feel bad about pirating games, but you're not going to feel bad about a game you bought off G2A cause you bought it. Same with used games as you won't feel bad cause you paid for it. The "you wouldn't download a car" meme was started because of such tactics.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

G2A really seems like the worse of all worlds as your actively screwing the devs unlike pirating.

[Tech614]

while G2A isn't doing anything illegal

Sure by Hong Kong laws they aren't. There is a reason the relocated the company there, they would have already been sued out of business in any western country. Having to pay of purchase protection alone would get them destroyed by consumer laws even before you throw in the blatant fraud going on there.

Studios would rather have you pirate than buy used games, for the same reasons.

Quote them saying so. You're wrong. A used copy does not take money away from them just like a pirated copy doesn't. A used copy however is an opportunity for 1) player to buy dlc and 2)player to play the game and enjoy it enough to buy future entries on day 1. Used copies might not be ideal to their bottom line but literally no company would rather you pirate before buying a used copy. That is a blatant lie you just pulled out of your ass.

G2A is worse then piracy because it costs them money in CC fees to process payments and then later also have them charged back. Also gets them in deep shit with said CC companies if it happens too often. Comparing this to used copies is laughable, and you should feel ashamed at just how bad of a comparison that is.

- - - Updated - - -

Holy shit what?

Dude legit thinks nothing illegal happens on the internet lol...

[Vash The Stampede]

Sure by Hong Kong laws they aren't. There is a reason the relocated the company there, they would have already been sued out of business in any western country. Having to pay of purchase protection alone would get them destroyed by consumer laws even before you throw in the blatant fraud going on there.

Like I said, G2A is more like a Craigslist or a Ebay type of system with sellers you can buy from. This is why G2A offers a protection program because these people can screw you. I've not been screwed but it is possible. The system itself is not inherently illegal, at least not any more so than Craigslist.

[RobertoCarlos]

Like I said, G2A is more like a Craigslist or a Ebay type of system with sellers you can buy from. This is why G2A offers a protection program because these people can screw you. I've not been screwed but it is possible. The system itself is not inherently illegal, at least not any more so than Craigslist.

If you sell stolen goods on craiglist that is illegal and would get you banned.

Sounds like G2A's entire buisness model is selling "hot" goods and world hopping to avoid pesky copy right laws

[Vash The Stampede]

Quote them saying so. You're wrong.

Ok... sure.
https://www.destructoid.com/lionhead...y-201343.phtml

A used copy does not take money away from them just like a pirated copy doesn't. A used copy however is an opportunity for 1) player to buy dlc and 2)player to play the game and enjoy it enough to buy future entries on day 1.

You could use the same argument for games bought off G2A except that you may have actually given the developers money, assuming the keys were acquired during a sale or from a foreign country.

[RobertoCarlos]

Ok... sure.
https://www.destructoid.com/lionhead...y-201343.phtml


You could use the same argument for games bought off G2A except that you may have actually given the developers money, assuming the keys were acquired during a sale or from a foreign country.

except in the case of credit card fraud

tip: money goes back to the credit card owner/the bank. Not the developer and they are out of a fresh key.

[Vash The Stampede]

If you sell stolen goods on craiglist that is illegal and would get you banned.

Sounds like G2A's entire buisness model is selling "hot" goods and world hopping to avoid pesky copy right laws

Well yes but in both Ebay's and Craigslist case you the consumer can't tell the difference. As far as I know, nobody is hating Ebay or Craiglist for allowing the sale of "hot" goods.

[RobertoCarlos]

Well yes but in both Ebay's and Craigslist case you the consumer can't tell the difference. As far as I know, nobody is hating Ebay or Craiglist for allowing the sale of "hot" goods.

If someone sells your stolen bike/stolen goods on sites you can absolutely get those user shut down/banned.

People try sell stolen stuff all the time, its actually harder than the stealing. Because short of just asking random people on the street out the back of your van, its an artform as such to move said "hot goods"

thats why sites like G2A are profitable and should be avoided like the plague

[Vash The Stampede]

except in the case of credit card fraud

tip: money goes back to the credit card owner/the bank. Not the developer and they are out of a fresh key.

And what, you think this doesn't occur on Ebay? tip: I bought a Windows 10 Pro key off Ebay for $4. Is it illegal? Is it legit? A quick Ebay search shows they do indeed have game keys for sale. Type "witcher 3 key" on Ebay. It's against their rules I'm sure, but I bet G2A also has an agreement against selling stolen keys. Protip, the Witcher 3 key on Ebay is like only $2 more than G2A.

The only way to get something that's 100% not stolen and official is to buy directly from the developer, but you usually get the worst deals doing this.

[Charge me Doctor]

And what, you think this doesn't occur on Ebay? tip: I bought a Windows 10 Pro key off Ebay for $4. Is it illegal? Is it legit? A quick Ebay search shows they do indeed have game keys for sale. Type "witcher 3 key" on Ebay. It's against their rules I'm sure, but I bet G2A also has an agreement against selling stolen keys. Protip, the Witcher 3 key on Ebay is like only $2 more than G2A.

The only way to get something that's 100% not stolen and official is to buy directly from the developer, but you usually get the worst deals doing this.

Seriously, it's worse than piracy, if you really don't want to buy stuff from developer - just don't, and play pirated version, instead of growing this fraudulent market of g2a, where developer actually has to pay money for those fraudulent keys.

[RobertoCarlos]

And what, you think this doesn't occur on Ebay? tip: I bought a Windows 10 Pro key off Ebay for $4. Is it illegal? Is it legit? A quick Ebay search shows they do indeed have game keys for sale. Type "witcher 3 key" on Ebay. It's against their rules I'm sure, but I bet G2A also has an agreement against selling stolen keys. Protip, the Witcher 3 key on Ebay is like only $2 more than G2A.

The only way to get something that's 100% not stolen and official is to buy directly from the developer, but you usually get the worst deals doing this.

"worst deal"

You mean actually pay the market worth?

I mean yeah you could find examples of anything on a site as big as Ebay, doesnt mean its legal, and doesnt mean if it got flagged it wouldnt be taken down immediately. But these things are hard to prove and these things get drowned out in the volume.

At least call it like it is, its stealing. Not being a "selective/informed/prudish customer" or shopping for the best deal.