Buyer Beware!
There are sites out there that advertise a cheaper way of buying the games you love. If it seems too good to be true… it’s probably because it is. The key reseller model seems simple at first: they’re a platform for selling off unwanted digital games, supplying store keys (usually Steam keys) at a much lower price. How they manage to get these keys is a bit… shady, but hey, lower prices are always going to draw eyes, no matter how much harm they do to developers (which is a lot, actually).
But now, the game’s changed: now, you aren’t just being offered game keys at cheap prices. The offer now applies to… free games?
public service announcement:
DON’T ?? BUY ?? BLOODHUNT
IT’S ?? FREE(more key resellers are putting a price tag on the key, it’s going to be FREE and you can play it starting from tomorrow, DON’T BUY IT) pic.twitter.com/CVvt7VgXpt
— Outstar (@outstarwalker) September 6, 2021
If it wasn’t already clear by now, key resellers aren’t your friend. This is just another item atop the pile of terrible things done by their business. Many game developers would just prefer that you pirate their games instead, and it’s easy to see why. As of now, most players are simply out of excuses for using these platforms. They’re not more convenient (since online storefronts exist), they’re certainly not safer, and now you can’t even be sure you’re getting a discount.
Given how much damage a marketplace like this can do to the games market, it’s probably best to steer clear of them. The fact that they’re seeking to destroy your wallet too shouldn’t be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, but it’ll certainly reinforce the will of those determined to steer others away from these platforms. They aren’t just protecting indie developers anymore – they’re protecting gamers too.