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[SirJackDaniels]

I probably sold 100.000 games to G2A itself. Not a shady reseller.
They are legit.

They only grew big because before 2015 you didnt have to declare VAT if your office was based out of the EU. This and G2A sourcing from other cheaper sources created a huge price discepancy on the (EU) digital market.

 

[Karak]

I get constant requests to post their link now that my channel had got even the littlest bit popular. I am staying well clear of them. They are the very definition of shady.

 

[KingV]

If that is your stance, might as well just pirate it?

There have been SOME cases where games have been bought illegally (credit card fraud or whatever) on G2A, but buying a game for cheap is not piracy.

In most cases, the publisher is probablu getting paid for the keys. I would bet most of the keys come from arbitrage sales of regional pricing, I.e. buying cheap Russian copies and selling them to Western markets.

If they are a black market marketplace, why isn't there government action against them? Why aren't they sued into oblivion? Or WTO actions?

 

[Cels]

I know but you can expect resellers to buy it in droves and then sell them aggressively, they're not even selling at a good price but a price you can practically get everywhere.

i don't understand your point. the ori sale and the dark souls sales were on steam. you can't buy copies of those and sell them as keys.

 

[FairFriend]

sorry, I know nothing about g2a, but I've received a free code whose equivalent is 6 euros. I was planning on buying a steam prey code, since prey is not available anymore on the store. Would someone educate me on the reasons why this site is considered shady?

 

[SamastahSukhino]

I love that place. I got batman Arkham asylum and origins for $2.50 each. Anything more than 10$ and I would purchase from steam/origin because of the refund system. I thought they were legit and will use them again if a game I want is on there.

 

[Fularu]

There have been SOME cases where games have been bought illegally (credit card fraud or whatever) on G2A, but buying a game for cheap is not piracy.

In most cases, the publisher is probablu getting paid for the keys. I would bet most of the keys come from arbitrage sales of regional pricing, I.e. buying cheap Russian copies and selling them to Western markets.

If they are a black market marketplace, why isn't there government action against them? Why aren't they sued into oblivion? Or WTO actions?

Dude they are cheaper than The almighty steam, them HAVE to be shady! Just like GMG became shady overnight because GOG said so

 

[Copons]

Dude they are cheaper than The almighty steam, them HAVE to be shady! Just like GMG became shady overnight because GOG said so

Yessir, that's exactly the point.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Dude they are cheaper than The almighty steam, them HAVE to be shady! Just like GMG became shady overnight because GOG said so

GMG not really comparable but wow did CDPR do a number on their public image.

 

[Hamster Plugin]

Wow didn't know they were bad. I nearly bought Metal Gear Solid V on impulse when I saw a streamer promoting a 30% off + a low percent for using their promotion code. Turned out that 30% promotion was old and their bot was still putting it in their chat. For that price it would been ok, happy it wasn't current.

30% off is not really a shady deal. That would make the price €40, which is a common price for retail PC games in Europe. So in that case they're probably just reselling actual retail keys.

 

[jshackles]

I love that place. I got batman Arkham asylum and origins for $2.50 each. Anything more than 10$ and I would purchase from steam/origin because of the refund system. I thought they were legit and will use them again if a game I want is on there.

I can say with almost 100% certainty that the code you got for Arkham Asylum came from the Humble WB Bundle that ran last year. Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition was bundled with 3 other games and included Steam keys for $1. This was a limited-time promotion and of course the reselling of keys is forbidden in Humble's Terms of Service.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

i don't understand your point. the ori sale and the dark souls sales were on steam. you can't buy copies of those and sell them as keys.

G2A sells steam gifts.

 

[Cels]

G2A sells steam gifts.

oh i didn't know that. that goes beyond even the shadiness of their gray market keys.

 

[Krabboss]

Oh no multi-million dollar companies aren't getting paid RRP on Steam for their games. And they're selling 7 year old games for dirt cheap? I was just about to hop into bed; how will I ever fall asleep now?

 

[TheAdmiester]

Are there any actual problems with G2A itself? Or do they purely come from the fact that they're a marketplace, and sellers can be shady? Because as far as I'm aware, this sort of stuff could just as easily happen on eBay, but it's not strictly the company's fault.

 

[jshackles]

Are there any actual problems with G2A itself? Or do they purely come from the fact that they're a marketplace, and sellers can be shady? Because as far as I'm aware, this sort of stuff could just as easily happen on eBay, but it's not strictly the company's fault.

G2A also sells games directly as in not through their marketplace but through their wholesale distributors (aka people who buy 10,000 copies of a game with stolen credit card info, for all we know).

It'd be like if the eBay Deal of the Day was for a bootleg DVD of The Avengers. Nobody would be at fault there besides eBay.

 

[malfcn]

I see G2A ads constantly on GAF now.

 

[MWS Natural]

I unsubbed from every Twitch streamer I follow who shills for G2A. I know losing my $5/mo doesn't make a difference but fuck that company.

Why are they are a shills? It's a sponsor like any other. No different than an athlete or actor signing a shoe or clothing deal, just for a lot less money lol.

 

[Gaz Pwnage]

Never had a problem with G2A. If publishers want me to buy their games directly from them / Steam / Origin, then match the prices or sell them for cheaper.

 

[Stevey]

This is the first I've heard of G2A, so IDK.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

It'd be like if the eBay Deal of the Day was for a bootleg DVD of The Avengers. Nobody would be at fault there besides eBay.

I don't really agree with this analogy, the keys are coming all, at one point coming from an authorized reseller, the publisher and the developer got money from that sale (maybe not enough) which is not the case with a bootleg DVD.

 

[Omega]

This needs to be fixed ASAP.

agreed

LightGAF is disgusting.

 

[la_briola]

Not the first, RaidCall comes to mind...

 

[Kiyo]

I don't see the problem with a digital marketplace. It's no different then eBay/Amazon, except specialized towards digital games. If you don't want to get scammed then make sure you buy from a reputable seller on G2A. Obviously avoid sellers that have only a few ratings or poor feedback, the same as you would on ebay.

I think the main difference is that Ebay and Amazon actively try to curb illegitimate sellers. Or do you see tons of bootlegs of Seinfeld DVD's on either?

There's only been one instance where there was a mass key seller that sold a ton of stolen keys. It was widely reported on and G2A did do something to prevent it. They shutdown the seller and refunded people who had their G2A shield purchased.

 

[Freiya]

Not everyone is going to walk in the holy white area of life.

 

[Lothars]

GMG not really comparable but wow did CDPR do a number on their public image.

Yup and It should bite CDPR in the ass.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

I probably sold 100.000 games to G2A itself. Not a shady reseller.
They are legit.

They only grew big because before 2015 you didnt have to declare VAT if your office was based out of the EU. This and G2A sourcing from other cheaper sources created a huge price discepancy on the (EU) digital market.

Can't you even generate codes FOR G2A via Steam as a dev?

 

[Kiyo]

Can't you even generate codes FOR G2A via Steam as a dev?

You can generate codes for whatever reason you want via Steam. If you want to sell those codes on G2A or GMG or Amazon that's your choice.

 

[Accoun]

Can't you even generate codes FOR G2A via Steam as a dev?

I thought you could request any number of keys from Steam as a dev?

 

[Fractal]

I regularly conduct my business with G2A, both selling and buying games. Had but one misunderstanding where I lost 10€, but even then it was mostly my fault for not reacting fast enough in the dispute center.

 

[SirJackDaniels]

Can't you even generate codes FOR G2A via Steam as a dev?

Im not a dev, so no.

 

[Fractal]

sorry, I know nothing about g2a, but I've received a free code whose equivalent is 6 euros. I was planning on buying a steam prey code, since prey is not available anymore on the store. Would someone educate me on the reasons why this site is considered shady?

It's an "unauthorized" marketplace where the origin of the sold keys may be questionable, in other words, Steam or other clients may establish a key sold on G2A was obtained through illegitimate means and deactivate your games. That said, it happens very rarely, last I remember was Ubisoft deactivating Far Cry 4 Uplay keys sold on G2A a few months ago, but ultimately they caved in and re-activated the affected keys.

All in all, if a few shades of grey don't bother you, they're generally a trustworthy store... at least from my experience.

 

[Grief.exe]

I probably sold 100.000 games to G2A itself. Not a shady reseller.
They are legit.

They only grew big because before 2015 you didnt have to declare VAT if your office was based out of the EU. This and G2A sourcing from other cheaper sources created a huge price discepancy on the (EU) digital market.

Can't you even generate codes FOR G2A via Steam as a dev?

Im not a dev, so no.

Some context would be appreciated.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

Im not a dev, so no.

well that just raises more questions than it answers

 

[Akronis]

Im not a dev, so no.

So you managed to sell 100,000 keys to G2A, but you're not a dev.

That's sounds totally legit 100%.

 

[Kiyo]

If I had to guess, he probably just buys keys of region free games wholesale from a region who's game prices are low, and then resells them on G2A. That's probably what 99% of the sales on G2A are I'd guess.

You don't have to be a dev to sell on G2A.

 

[paperspace]

Bought one game from G2A and I never received it. Contacted support and they were all "Should've bought insurance!".

It's laughable.

 

[ussjtrunks]

I mainly buy my pc games on Kinguin because its cheaper

Ofc its a gray area though I doubt alot of the keys are stolen just sold from other cheaper countries i.e russia

I used to see alot of steamgifts on there being sold by traders before steam region locked gifts, alot of keys are actually region free and thats where most of the savings come from

 

[Zemm]

I'm convinced it's a money laundering scheme at this point. Really disappointing seeing people like Lirik and Forsen carrying their logo. G2A are the cancer of twitch.

 

[twozerotwo]

I thought G2A was super shady with their low prices and because of that I never bought anything from them.

Spoiler

Until last week when I bought FF XIV from them for pretty cheap. 10/10 will buy from again. NoKappa

 

[Imbarkus]

Yeah. Them and Draft Kings!

Bought a key for delisted Sega Rally Online for 360 off G2A and had no problems, personally. YMMV

EDIT: Actually now that I think about it the code he originally sent me was one character off and I emailed the guy and he sent me the right code. So if I had plans to do anything with the code other than redeem it, I guess I would have been unknowingly screwed. This now strikes me as a good way to sell bogus keys on the service and correct (and spend a good key) on only real human redeeming paying customers, while screwing other resellers. *shrug*

 

[To Far Away Times]

It's pretty much the only one I see on my phone

Same here.

 

[FairFriend]

It's an "unauthorized" marketplace where the origin of the sold keys may be questionable, in other words, Steam or other clients may establish a key sold on G2A was obtained through illegitimate means and deactivate your games. That said, it happens very rarely, last I remember was Ubisoft deactivating Far Cry 4 Uplay keys sold on G2A a few months ago, but ultimately they caved in and re-activated the affected keys.

All in all, if a few shades of grey don't bother you, they're generally a trustworthy store... at least from my experience.

thank you for the clarification

 

[n051de]

The one that sells me the game at the lowest price will earn me as a satisfied customer. I don't give a flying fuck about the industry, the consumers, the publishers, the devs. You know, nobody of them will give a shit about me when I'm in trouble.

The lower the price, the better, no matter the cost (as long as it doesn't affect me).

Sorry humanity, have I been honest, accidently?

Not what everyone wants to hear but seriously, they wouldn't exist for long if most people disagreed with this. Which I don't.

 

[Enigmatic Rainbow]

It's pretty much the only one I see on my phone

Yup, get the ads all the time on my phone.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Yup and It should bite CDPR in the ass.

Agreed but it won't. GMG really had no recourse even though they were in the right.

 

[SirJackDaniels]

Some context would be appreciated.

I buy directly from publishers (Bethesda, EA, Activision etc) and G2A buys directly from me.

Nothing shady about it.

 

[MUnited83]

Dude they are cheaper than The almighty steam, them HAVE to be shady! Just like GMG became shady overnight because GOG said so

They are shady because of how they do business. Reviews keys and keys bought with stolen crédit cards are often sold there. On top of that, they are not authorised or have deals with most devs.

Shady is the perfect word to describe them.

Oh no multi-million dollar companies aren't getting paid RRP on Steam for their games. And they're selling 7 year old games for dirt cheap? I was just about to hop into bed; how will I ever fall asleep now?

Yes, I'm sure the many indie dev companies are multi-million endeavours. Sure.

Never had a problem with G2A. If publishers want me to buy their games directly from them / Steam / Origin, then match the prices or sell them for cheaper.

So you're saying that if they put a game in a Humble Bundle once then they have to price the game at <1$ forever?

 

[Denton]

Agreed but it won't. GMG really had no recourse even though they were in the right.

Yup and It should bite CDPR in the ass.

AFAIK GMG was selling unauthorized keys of CDPR, in effect engaging in the same behaviour that is being criticised here, no ?

 

[Gaz Pwnage]

So you're saying that if they put a game in a Humble Bundle once then they have to price the game at <1$ forever?

The publishers made already made their money when they put those keys up for $1 -- of their own volition. Its not like the keys are generated from nowhere. I don't see what your point is.