G2A Is So Bad Developers Would Rather You Pirate Their Games Than Buy From It

G2A is a shady website that resells keys for game downloads. The problem with G2A is that it's shady as hell and has been criticized heavily for allowing fraudulent sales that cost developers money.
The sketchiness and outright criminal behavior is so bad, studios would rather you pirate their games than use G2A if you have no intention of buying the game officially.
Frankly, their case is completely valid.

[@25xxfrostxx]

What if I want to buy an EA game on G2A? The chargeback can be a surprise mechanic.

[@Srymak]

Pirate AAA games, buy indie games. Everyone wins!

[@Taqiax]

Even then you'll be supporting G2A, which means you'd also be supporting fucking over indie (and any other) devs.

[@rifle3888]

In case for lads who live under a rock/missed the joke, it a throw back on EA about loot box is a "suprise mechanic"

[@Francisco-Danconia]

LMFAO 🤣😂

[@Robin...222]

@Riedy bought whole sims 3 with al xpacs years ago. My sister can still play. Hope EA rots away.

[@Arigatex]

So what you're saying is I can actually make EA lose money. Interesting...

[@totalwar1793]

Ok everyone, ask people to make fraud EA keys!

[@rosco2890]

*I N T E R E S T I N G*

[@thepunslinger9349]

GENIUS

[@Trollman2K]

This is old news, TB covered this years ago. Since then, i've only used G2A to buy games i want to play but are from companies that enjoy screwing their customers, so EA, Ubisoft etc.

[@ryanmccloskey4292]

💡💡💡💡

[@comradenesrov6193]

''G2A is so bad Developers would rather you pirate...'' *say no more fam*

[@ashurean]

I think a lot of people were pirating the games anyway, but now they can do that and also feel good that they're "helping" indie developers.

[@NottJoeyOfficial]

I only pirate if I don't want to support the company, RIP Freeshop, bless Wii U USB Helper

[@VioletDeathRei]

@@ashurean I mean the Devs have a point if you are only willing to buy it at a massive discount from a fraudulent site that will cost them hundreds of thousands in chargebacks and investigations the pirates are better people.

[@LuisC7]

@@NottJoeyOfficial Do you know something like Wii U USB Helper for Switch?

[@zabaoth]

I thought they went at least semi legit a while ago. The prices were low as hell when they were full shady. Now the difference isn’t worth putting your CC and personal info into it.

[@ShroudedWolf51]

And, before we get off the topic of G2A, let's not forget Gearbox having partnered with G2A for the Bulletstorm HD re-release. And, the only reason they withdrew was only after TotalBiscuit (R.I.P.) hammered Gearbox with evidence of G2A's toxicity.

[@DuckRotation]

... total biscuit died before bulletstorms hd rerelease came out

[@notaname8140]

@@DuckRotation The Gearbox/G2A thing happened in April 2017

[@bugthesda3480]

"You can pirate our games" -Todd Howard.

[@dongxx]

Oh Todd!

[@tingtingin]

God howard

[@superthorc6894]

Bugthesda yay Todd

[@mrpterodactyl4055]

Is it just endless approved torrents of fallout 76? Cause that's just evil Todd, your not EA...not yet.

[@BlueBoxRevan]

😀oh really... Tehehehe

[@domj1797]

So, I should only buy EA games from G2A?

[@andregurke]

surprise discounts

[@mikki7522]

GOLD

[@dewinteryageu]

You should not buy anything at G2A - First - if the key is not stolen, you give EA money. Second - if you hate these companies, just dont buy there games.

[@HolyPetRel]

@@dewinteryageu i think you missed the joke

[@ryanmarquez9404]

As long as it's made by bioware

[@ShroudedWolf51]

I still haven't forgiven G2A for destroying TinyBuild with $500k in chargeback fines.

[@FilthyNobeard]

ShroudedWolf51 Holy shit

[@Pasakoye]

That's disgusting.

[@name5748]

Yeah, they seem totally destroyed, haven't seen a game from them since.

[@hakuso.3]

Forget tinyBuild. They're the jackanapes who sell games on GOG, then refuse to update them. They deserve whatever they get.

[@123darkelf]

Name I think that’s why they’re now more of a publisher than a developer now.

[@nigralurker]

Friendly reminder that Gearbox had a temporary romance with G2A.

[@XShrike0]

I was about to post this.

[@2Scribble]

Another reminder that Gearbox are sluts - if the Epic Games shit didn't clue you in to that :P

[@CyberHangman]

More like a "bromance"

[@OiaHusk]

@@vlc-cosplayer randy is a poison.

[@DresdenShuffle]

Smug Anime Girl Randy thinks squirting is magic. Literal magic. No words.

[@nemtudom5074]

This is not the first time this happened. Hotline miami's creator gave people the full game on the pirate bay, asking them not to buy from G2A and obtain it this way

[@RockBandRS]

Devs have also suggested pirating games when countries like Australia ban them.

[@nemtudom5074]

That too.... The hotline miami dlc for payday 2 was given away for free to australians aswell. Since, hotline miami is banned there

[@Phyrrax]

The creator also made a patch for the torrent version, before he himself uploaded it, if Im not mistaken.

[@nemtudom5074]

Yea, i think so

[@PicadilloRedondo]

darkwood developers did the same, g2a seems to be a really shit place to buy games...

[@cyphaborg6598]

G2A avoiding public conversation? well it's no surprise mechanic.

[@biggnesss7192]

We should buy every game from EA using G2A so that their stock goes negative.

[@StrigidaeStrigiformes-sv6mj]

😒 Fuckers robbed me my bit monies. Let's just say that their "customer support" is a surprise mechanic since it doesn't exist. SURPRISE!!! 😒 *mxm*

[@hank2188]

Older games deserve to be cheaper and developers need to realize that instead of keeping them basically the same price for years

[@rocca717]

cough Nintendo cough

[@cursedkeys7575]

I was looking to see if G2A is legit because some of the 20 year old games that are still full priced on steam are very cheap on G2A. I think I will just go ahead and buy it off of G2A, because the studio that made the game has been out of business for 10 years.

[@CrowMercury]

Are we just entered int pretty much money laundering area? Like, legit cleaning cash operations? G2A shoud watch out, they may be safe from the law, but people worse than them love a “look the other way” service that lets them clean their stolen goods. And honestly, fuck this entire situation and anything that protects it.

[@themawnster7191]

Yep, G2A has always been a great spot for fraud and money laundering! BuT iT's NoT tHeIr FaUlT tHeY'rE jUsT tHe MiDdLe MaN

[@Foefaller]

Wasn't there a SCOTUS case this session that puts a crack into the "We're just the middleman" defense? IIRC it was a lawsuit against Apple about unfair practices in their app store, tried to pull the "we're just a platform to sell apps, not an actual store" And the liberal justices + Kavanaugh of all people shot that down, at least in an antitrust setting.

[@MadsFeierskov]

It's crazy how many streamers are sponsored by them.

[@theguardian8317]

most gamer streamers would advertise even cocaine to kids if it was legal and someone offered them money for it. They are not exactly the most ethical or balanced kind of people

[@ZakTheFallen]

@@theguardian8317 There are plenty of good people on Twitch, problem is that there are lots of shitheads too.

[@TheUruse]

@@ZakTheFallen Eyyy just like in everything else.

[@SamWilsonMusician]

That’s because their affiliation program is open to ANYONE. All you have to do is sign up, and you get commission if someone uses your link.

[@Entertainment-jv8xw]

They sponsore big personalities in eSports and offering them discounts on games. They also get the influencer to defend them so I wouldn't any of trust those streamers.

[@seth45er]

remember when randy pitchford had to be talked out of working with G2A

[@_JStefanelli]

Good times...

[@TheDude90100]

Pepperidge farm remembers.

[@jakesommer3914]

Didn't know Randy was capable of being talked out of anything. Maybe he should be talked out of being a CEO and stealing his employee's bonuses too.

[@Sergey_Latyshev]

It seems he likes shitty stores.

[@Thimo98]

Didn't total biscuit have a talk with Randy Pitchford about g2a?

[@biggnesss7192]

I will use g2a to buy every single EA game from now on.

[@rezcellent]

I already have

[@biggnesss7192]

@@rezcellent Keep spending Rez. Keep spending

[@SteveL11]

Then you're a dumbass. You just wasting money to who know what, could be terrorists. Just pirate the games like the devs said. OR... actually buying games from legit sources?

[@DrTheRich]

@@SteveL11 EA... Legit.... Right...

[@phoslayer]

Yep, will be buying all EA games from g2a from now on!

[@AstralAbstraction]

Came for the commentary, stayed cause Descenders looks hype as hell. Thanks for putting it on my radar, Jim!

[@neoqwerty]

No kidding, Descenders looks like everything I wanted as a kid when I did time trials on racing games!

[@MeAuntieNora]

It's a good game! I've had it installed for close to a year now and still do a run now and then. You should know it's extremely challenging... like I haven't beaten half of the levels and I'm *STILL* not exactly sure what some of the controls do or how they're intended to be used, but I think that's a deliberately high skill ceiling. The music's great too.

[@Pyrii]

Apparently G2A's sponsored KZbinrs have been making videos claiming that G2A is legitimate to counter these tweets from Indie Devs.

[@KomamuraSajin]

This is news to you? That's been going on for years. G2A's 'controversy' has been going on for years. This whole thing boils down to *he-said, she-said* with indie devs trying hard to protect their businesses, and G2A lapdogs telling everyone people like Jim Sterling are just making up controversy for views. There are just as many G2A supporters as their are G2A haters or they wouldn't be thriving as they are.

[@pokemongamemasterHD]

Who are some of the sponsored you tubers?

[@groundbreaker91]

It really is a sad state of affairs that people would sell their morals for a quick buck. But that's just the world we live in.

[@TheUruse]

Agreed with Komamura, it has been going on I don't know for how long but few years back this thing is a thing. The G2A is fraud basically. But yea ever since I still noticed whenever I watch KZbin video or Twitch there's still someone being sponsored by G2A.

[@RamesGamesLC]

It doesn't matter who the sponsored tubers are. They're here for a payday and G2A is willing to pay them. Do I agree with it? No. But if it puts food on the table, it's their deal with the devil. Most you can do is simply spread the facts, and not argue with people about it. In the end being sponsored by G2A is no different than being sponsored by a skin gambling website. it's only harming those who buy into the scam (except it's the other way around for those who use G2A).

[@0hgre]

I would never buy an indie game on a page like that.

[@dude-bz2bc]

guild wars 2 blocks your account if u buy addons or the game from there xD

[@CA-jh6rm]

If I see youtubers that are sponsored by G2A, I stop watching them, and dislike any of their videos that youtube recommends to me. (I'm looking at you MxR Skyrim mod reviews!) There's no way they don't know the damage that G2A does, with as much documented fraud that G2A has participated in.

[@nitishkapur8193]

But you should buy EA games from that

[@0hgre]

@@nitishkapur8193 I would never endorse such an awesome suggestion.

[@0hgre]

@@dude-bz2bc Seriously? I wonder how they separate the keys.

[@amilyester]

lol Devolver's dig at G2A for their E3 presser was hilarious

[@TheTeremaster]

Devolver famously cancelled their keys en masse and basically told people to get fucked if they had a problem with it. Total chad company

[@SykoCookii]

last year, I didn't do my research on G2A I lost $200 when the currency I bought didn't work, I was IP banned from G2A after I reported it to them 🤷‍♂️

[@dunethewanderer8944]

You KNOW it's bad when Jim breaks out the old Garry's Incident footage

[@darkshade2k7]

Its funny how at one point, that was one of the worst games on steam, when it looks a damn sight better than what would come later, lol

[@jamiekamihachi3135]

I thought that came play looked familiar. I haven’t seen that game in almost a decade.

[@b33byt3]

Yep, got a good chuckle out of me.

[@airimee]

Took me a minute to realize you weren't talking about bully.

[@Goatcha_M]

Can't G2A be charged for fencing stolen property? Or is this another case of "The Law Hasn't Been Updated?"

[@Kude1707]

If they knew they were stolen and you could prove they knew yes.However it's very difficult to prove especially with digital goods. The laws their but the evidence isn't worst case they can be fined for being negligent like that will do much

[@nialltracey2599]

The best approach would be a law suit. If the software houses can get granted by the courts access to G2A records stating how many of their keys have been sold by G2A and demonstrate that it was first and foremost a marketplace for fraudulently-obtained goods. I don’t reckon they’d be able to sue for damages (G2A can claim no knowledge) but they could go for an injunction on the grounds that it would then be clear that it was predominantly illegal use.

[@johnathanera5863]

Nope. G2A cant know what games are stolen. So they dont know theyre selling stolen property. And so theregor arent a fence. Not their fault. According to the law, and the law has to remain that way in order to protect every other reseller. Sucks. But its the way it has too be.

[@nialltracey2599]

Johnathan Era hence my suggestion of seeking an injunction. If a group of indies can establish that a significant portion of sales is illegal, then it becomes much harder for them to say “we don’t know”.

[@RiceAndRun]

G2a can use the middle-man excuse legally because they're not dealing with the any stolen goods. Credit from the credit cards was the thing that was "stolen", so technically the keys were lawfully obtain; at the point of purchase; in the eyes of the key vendor. You're are right the law needs to catch up with intangible goods. I wouldn't say a car was stolen if it was bought with money from a bank heist.

[@josetomascamposrobledano4618]

Remember when everyone in KZbin was sponsored by them, I literally associate G2A with Jackfrags

[@braydenj1327]

Same.

[@Games4Kickz]

I'm no lawyer but there has to be legal responsibility for knowingly running a site that sells stolen goods. They can't just play stupid and pretend not to know about it lol

[@AsthmaQueen]

The title honestly does not surprise me, if Totalbiscuit left one impression on me before he passed it was how bad G2A was.

[@thiswebsitesucksTBH]

heck now im sad again

[@markwheeler4245]

Aura Rowe So these are well known for this shit then?! When I'm looking for a good deal on ps plus I've saw G2A and considered using them in the past but ended up using my regular choice of cd keys instead

[@cynictrash3814]

@@markwheeler4245 One thing on G2A is, people buy bulk in regions where keys are cheaper because of the financial situation, and then re-sell the keys for like 800 % markup, which is still way cheap in financially strong regions. Abusing a pricing system that is trying to be fair to gain a large profit, easy money. G2A is fucking garbage.

[@AsthmaQueen]

@@cynictrash3814 in a perfect world G2A would just act as a sale extender. Buying keys when they are cheap like now. But ya unfortunately its very largely just fraud, stolen cc's, etc.

[@adambishop7699]

I was just thinking the same thing. May he Rest In Peace.

[@TakunHiwatari]

Pirating a video game costs developers less than you buying it through G2A What a time to be alive

[@kecaw]

Its silly but its true. Let me break to you how some of the deals work. A. Steals CC info. Buys games from the dev. and sells them on G2A for half of that price (or a 20% cut if its new or something). THEN the card owner is like " shit my CC info was stolen and used? block the card and do a chargeback to get the money. NOW the thing is. The chargeback happens to the devs. not G2A, so the devs. need to siphon through all that fallout, they loose money AND manpower to find and block all the keyes that were wrongfully bought. AND THEN the devs. get shit talked from people that bough the stolen keyes as to " WhY IsNt My KeY wOrKinG". So yes, in this regard pirating is less of a hassle for the dev.

[@rdowg]

@StraightupGamer not if you know how to avoid viruses and bitminers

[@jytyp]

@StraightupGamer i dont know how to react to this

[@tabushka292]

@StraightupGamer Pirating games is actually pretty safe for the most part. If it's from a "trusted" cracker group and the torrent is from one of the more known sites and has many seeders then you likely won't get any viruses. Now that's not to say that you should pirate games though. I actually got a malware on my pc recently from downloading a game from a site called myabandonware I think, it's some site where people upload games that you can't buy anymore because they were abandoned and nowhere up for sale. I wanted to play a game that I used to play when I was a kid, however it didn't start on my PC. The exe did have a surprise for me though. So yeah, if you download something from some shitty site like that, then that's pretty risky. Of course it was my fault but I really wanted to play that game again :D

[@alphads2000]

@@tabushka292 What was that game you wanted to play once more?

[@shyamsundarrajan2469]

Now I know where I will buy my EA games but that still doesn't mean I will play it

[@Muykle]

Thanks for the recommendation for the best place to buy AAA games

[@kurgo_]

Made me think of TB. Bloody hell, are we all missing him.

[@WickedMuis]

Same.

[@ladybucket9798]

:( now im sad.

[@Butzebaer]

Yes... though I am glad I can still listen to a cynical englishman talking about the video game industry. That's nice.

[@Floydthefuckbag]

Stop making people sad

[@LtnCorrsk]

He'd be so pissed about how the gaming industry is going.

[@blockyoxwinkle5829]

Man you thought Epic was making the game industry better, G2A is making piracy preferable. Now THAT'S customer friendly

[@ROCKYPLAYA]

It's all part of the plan.

[@nerdler7468]

Good news i know where to buy epic exclusive games at now

[@aspidur1744]

@@nerdler7468 the enemy of my enemy is my friend. lol

[@chi7891]

I was going to buy a game from G2A the other day but then I remembered what Jim Sterling said about how bad they are and I didn’t

[@yankeedoodle1087]

Isn't the channel, MXRMods still being sponsored by G2A?

[@DresdenShuffle]

Yankee Doodle Correct

[@Fliadaloisio]

Yes

[@ErgothDerGott]

Yes, and I am still calling hin out for that - he ignores it thoo... Shows what a scumy brat he is

[@Gigaheart]

Poor guy probably got stuck into a contract.

[@darkrite9000]

Yeah and I do think he may have been stuck in a contract, he's honestly not the smartest person. Don't get me wrong I do watch his videos on occasion and enjoy them, but he's not all that bright. Does anyone remember the issue with the collab market mod and how the mod author tried to sue him? Well he agreed to their demands to avoid any potential suing cause he had just moved at the time and didn't have any extra money to potentially pay for this lawsuit if he did get sued. Now given the grounds he was being sued on, he could've easily gone to court and won that case. He didn't at the time have any legal council, meaning he didn't know if he could really be sued or not. And he was basically told by Machinima to just listen to the mod author's demands (and given he was a part of Machinima he took their awful advice). So yeah him being sponsored by G2A and either not knowing or not being able to get out of that, makes sense given what's already occurred.

[@kenelt]

darkwood did that they even put the torrent themselves it was glorious.

[@Kligan]

And Darkwood is a damn good game as well.

[@ivansalamon7028]

its a beautiful fucking game. so good. so immersive. better than most horrror games out there.

[@deevee5327]

I first torrented the game to try it out. After dying horribly while huddled behind a drawer inside the first safehouse, I bought it on Steam. Never in my life have I screamed like a little girl while getting torn to shreds by savage dogs and been actually happy about it.

[@HellVops]

Was about to post the same thing, gg to the Devs.

[@Caffeinated-DaVinci]

I followed Darkwood on IndieDB long before they applied for Steam Greenlight. The devs are really amazing, competent at what they do and genuinely care about the game they're making. The second it went on Early Access, I bought it. It was pretty rough around the edges back then, haven't really played since. Gonna have to give it another go with all this high praise being said about it.

[@longtran927]

G2A: "We disagree with the evidence that developers lose money when their games are sold through us."

[@UnusuallyLargeCrab]

The unexpected money losses are surprise mechanics, and we think they are quite ethical.

[@EminemLovesGrapes]

They're a private company, they can do whatever they want... /s

[@franklynt9499]

It's not fraud, it's a surprise fine.

[@Isnogood12]

I'll probably buy all EGS exclusives through them for the EGS platform.

[@Thornskade]

They very well could. It would be nice if we could get the facts straight on this issue. Developers lose money when games are bought with stolen credit cards. G2A literally doesn't have to exist for that, and people would find other ways to sell such game keys if G2A didn't exist - for example, ebay! In fact, you can do this right now. ebay literally acts as a second G2A in the key resell market already. Discussing issues is fine but good lord. Must the facts be so messed up all the time? This gets us nowhere. When G2A dies, then well, ebay ain't gonna. Please fucking realize what the problem is.

[@surajshaw9703]

So in short, if you want to buy an ea game... Buy it on g2a.

[@chechar3dg]

Or ubisoft game

[@surajshaw9703]

@@chechar3dg Yup...

[@NSG0079]

Be careful bro. Big companies like EA can put the manpower into figuring out who bought illegal keys and PERMANENTLY ban/disable your game remotely. Indie devs can't afford it and that's how G2A makes its money, by preying on smaller folks. So just avoid G2A altogether.

[@TheTeremaster]

But then you register it on THEIR platform. Those fraudulent keys rarely last a week in your library, and if they think you're doing it too much they might just disable your entire account

[@asifcra7839]

so ea games should be bought from g2A. but no indie game. that way money hungry co can test their own medicine.

[@NSG0079]

Be careful bro, as money into G2A in ANY form allows them to keep their store open, allowing them to rip-off more smaller devs longer. Better to bleed the whole thing dry and burn its corpse. Plus half the CoD and Battlefield keys are flagged as illegal and banned by Steam within a DAY of purchase. Not even worth the hassle.

[@TheTeremaster]

Don't bother with EA. Their DRM is so extensive the key would be cancelled minutes after any chargebacks. They own the platform so they're way better at cancelling your keys and wasting your money than any indie company

[@evillecaston]

It's not fraud, it's Gearbox magic!

[@Van-Leo]

surprise mechanics on the company bank account

[@celic190]

@@Van-Leo Na that's Randy Pitchford mate xD

[@dotanuki3371]

Turns out Gearbox magic is actually just piss

[@SupermassiveGaming]

G2A now that's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time. I didn't even think they were a thing anymore.

[@SupermassiveGaming]

@@aceflibble Why would you google PC games? That's what Steam is for.

[@ozisponas1593]

@@SupermassiveGaming cause steam does not show legitimate gameplay only crappy ass in game cinematic trailer crap

[@DriftNick]

Most people either don't know or don't care, all they see is the lower prices.

[@weaverquest]

@@SupermassiveGaming It is easier to search games on a browser than Steam's clunky store lol. Even if it's just the web version of Steam.

[@LemonSoulz]

Lmao you are so full of shit I can smell it from here

[@EnayCiel]

Is no one talking about the fact that G2A also charges your account if you don't log in after a certain point?

[@MiorAkif]

Really? Rather messed up

[@bobtailsquid]

Only if you make an account just buy the game without one I love g2a it’s soo chesp

[@zippo718]

@@bobtailsquid Because the keys ar stolen. Platforms should start banning accounts that register keys that later get charged back.

[@Daniel6254]

@@zippo718 They dont ban the accounts but they erase the game from your library and you cant get your money back

[@marius498]

Never happened to me. How would that even work?

[@ash36230]

How come these haven't been prosecuted for selling stolen goods and fraudulent trading?

[@samwell8]

Because G2A isn't responsible for that, its just a game selling website. Same way as how these keys are also sold on eBay but it isn't eBays responsibility. Also depending on where its based means they might not be prosecuted, this goes for companies like PayPal who would've been shut down and charged as criminals in the UK however can't be because they're based in the US.

[@touchgameplay]

@@samwell8 errr no they have EU office as well for paypal

[@bilateralrope8643]

Because G2A is running out of a country where they aren't breaking any laws.

[@MrTastyM7]

you act as if our countrys don't do that already. america is a prime example

[@AQDuck]

I think it was Tinybuild who even went as far as to upload their own torrent and linked to it in response to a G2A tweet about their game. (This was years ago)

[@android19willpwn]

I remember that. It was pretty much my first exposure to G2A, so thankfully I hadn't ever used the site prior to that coming out. The most wild thing was at the time people defending buying from G2A as just being a "smart, responsible consumer" and taking the best deals that they could. But like... you're only getting those deals by making use of a site skirting the law to begin with, so at that point wouldn't the "smartest" thing you could do as a consumer be to just pirate the game for even less cost?

[@MadockTheOtt]

Iirc they also uploaded a cracked version of 'No Time To Explain' where the only hat you could wear was a pirate hat. Other than that it was the full original release.

[@ragnar97]

Recommended for you: MxR Mods *click* Sponsored by G2A looool

[@SpecialJess2]

Sadly ya boi gada get payed food costs money and Google demonitizes him

[@android19willpwn]

I have a hard time getting angry at most channels who are sponsored by shady sites. But if it goes much beyond that...

[@ragnar97]

@@android19willpwn I can understand a smaller channel struggling to get a decemt amount of money taking their deals but big channels have little excuse other than not caring or greed. MxR for example, with almost 2 million subs, has no excuse. He probably has sponsors lining up

[@SpecialJess2]

@@ragnar97 he makes very sponsor unfriendly content now and he moved to California didn't he that place is expensive potential money is not garenteed money too subs does not mean dollars in the bank

[@DresdenShuffle]

Jessie TheMedic That's no excuse for signing with such a shady company. He should have some principals and integrity at least. I'd ask for help on Patreon before I'd ever make a deal with a scummy and shady business, it makes his character look bad.

[@SeaOfTides]

I hope lawmakers catch up with G2A owners.

[@Starfals]

G2A is still a thing after so many years? No wayyyyyyyyy :O

[@thsudy]

I completely forgot of G2A since I’ve never used it.

[@ManoredRed]

Me too, I don't really hear of it. Its not a good sign that I am only hearing of it on a video pointing out that its BS.

[@305backup]

Manored People don’t like it because it takes money away from developers. That’s essentially it. Bit if you don’t care about the developer, like they most likely don’t care about you, then who cares? Maybe if we keep buying these games off G2A, these developers will make some decent games and own up to their mistakes.

[@Avossk]

I haven't heard any G2A news in a hot minute, but I see nothing has changed

[@El_Rey_247]

Well, damn. I assumed the keys were just purchased in less expensive regions, and then resold at a price higher than that regional purchase price but lower than the local price.

[@Smelly285]

Idk how g2a ended up in the book sphere but they’re a vile company selling predominantly stolen keys costing indie devs thousands.

[@V_A_Kamas]

Wow... And i thought YT algorythm recomended me video from 3 years ago :O

[@bepper66]

Same

[@planescaped]

I am amazed dumbfucks still buy games from G2A. This stuff has been known for a *long* time.

[@DarkKitarist]

That's why I never buy from G2A... Indies mostly deserve the full price sometimes twice over!

[@RAZ9718]

Ain't that the truth, I bought a physical copy of Stardew Valley 2 years ago for $20 (down from $30) and even at $30 it would've been completely worth it.

[@bnerd1]

that also goes for kinguin

[@DeosPraetorian]

I'm still going to buy from g2a because it's cheaper

[@Jackal_El_Lobo34]

I recall that Digital Homicide was using this site to sell steam keys.

[@DarkZerol]

Goes for any unauthorized key resellers. I mean why in the world would they charge extra for "protection fee" if there are keys that do not work, sounds exactly like they already know that the game keys themselves were from shady sources that ain't exactly legit.

[@hattagunawan7715]

The very low volume of Treno's music (FFIX Piano Collections) in the background distract me, lol

[@Cloxygen]

if companies attached credit card info to activation key numbers when sales were made they could deactivate the games purchased with stolen credit cards after the fact. No one would use G2A if that was a common occurrence.

[@philvideofilm]

I only buy deep discounted AAA games, gotta support the indie folks.

[@33melonpaws77]

On second thought, let us not go to G2A, tis a silly place.

[@Sabre_Wulf1]

Go away or i shall taunt you some more...

[@pathora44]

No silly means that it is at worst annoying but harmless this site sounds like a place of fraud and theft.

[@shirshanyaroy287]

@@pathora44 it's a Monty Python reference

[@Sabre_Wulf1]

WHAT!!!......is your favourite game ?

[@whatevr99]

I fart in G2A’s general direction!

[@MrJerkdude1]

It's summer sale on steam now, everything is CHEAPER NOW

[@MrTastyM7]

it's cheaper on g2a ;3

[@AngelicHunk]

I remember watching a video about this years ago, making the same points and even explaining further...All the comments were like "fuck you", "I don't care", and "not my problem, I want to play games". I wonder what those people are doing now.

[@megamage911]

Yup, I remember Totalbiscuit making these exact points years ago, which is why I have never, and never will, touch G2A with a 50 feet pole, even if my fucking life depended on it.

[@Ronnoak]

Yep, saw the title and I had to check the date cause I remembered Totalbiscuit talking about this.

[@hainez14]

Yup I remember, feel's like such a long time ago now. There's 1 game I've ever bought on one of these sites and that's Fallout 76 for £10. And that's because the Bathesda didn't give a shit when they released it so I didn't give a shit when I bought it lol

[@megamage911]

@Rzejdi He's been dead for over a year.

[@megamage911]

@Rzejdi Also, how the fuck would this ever be about him making money`?

[@ZCJKF13GDG4]

@@megamage911 how convenient...

[@CanadianBaconPwnage]

Oooo, the Descenders game really tickled my fancy. Thanks for showing that off Jim!

[@dualwieldsoftware]

As a game dev, I'd 100% rather you pirate my game than get it off of G2A. Every key on G2A was scammed in some way--mostly people pretending to be game journalists requesting review copies. Awful site. However, you can contact them and set yourself up as a "seller" and dump a few hundred keys yourself onto G2A to prevent others from uploading stolen codes. I haven't tried this yet because my game isn't commercially successful enough to care, but the next one? Yeah. I'm giving it a go.

[@SoloQSights]

I wish you all the best, good luck!

[@Polarthief]

Yeah, I remember the one and only time I used G2A for a Legion WoW key for a friend when you would get the Demon Hunter class for free before the expansion came out, and the seller wouldn't even give the key prior to the expansion releasing. NOWHERE on the page did it say I would get the key then, the seller just decided to disclose that AFTER they took my money. Thankfully, I was able to refund that immediately and since then, I've realized G2A is like eBay (which is already pretty toxic) but even worse. I outright have it blacklisted. Obviously not as bad as developers losing money in fraud cases, but it was pretty fucked up enough for me to never want to return.

[@DankBoyy00]

Worst part is that they're more expensive than most other key stores

[@wolfboy20]

What other key stores do you use? I'm gonna stop using g2a

[@DankBoyy00]

@@wolfboy20 I use a site called allkeyshop (.com) which compares prices, I got a lot of games 5-10% cheaper here than on G2A Only get the AAA games as keys

[@wolfboy20]

@@DankBoyy00 cool! Do they sell digital cards too?

[@DankBoyy00]

@@wolfboy20 Like gift cards?

[@wolfboy20]

@@DankBoyy00 nah like xbox live gold and psn plus cards

[@Senayoshy]

I remember back then my friend told me that we could all play eso online for cheap, couple weeks later all of us got banned. Turns out he got the keys off g2A

[@ThEjOkErIsWiLd00]

"eso online" soooo, elder scrolls online online? Do you work for the department of redundancy department? :P

[@chaossmith3864]

No worse than ATM Machine that so many people say. Lol

[@vcrbetamax]

ESO base game is 10 bucks on steam summer sale if you and your friends were still interested.

[@mikieswart]

@@vcrbetamax i played for about a month back after launch and haven't really touched it since. is it worth picking up now?

[@vcrbetamax]

Mikie Swart I would recommend it. I got back into it with the new expansion that came out. ESO and FFXIV are both really good in my opinion.

[@techtosterone9997]

They also have this "Pay to Protect" system. If you dont pay extra during specific game purchases, your transaction wont be secured meaning in a case of a fake key is received, no refunds, youre on your own.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

It's funny, you can run an ad on Google for a fraud store, but you can run an ad that might lead to a site or video with a 'bad word' in it or for a 'violent game'.

[@timmer919hep]

I remember that time the devs of Darkwood put up an official torrent for their game because they would rather it be pirated than bought from sites like G2A

[@robertrosenthal7264]

I have that burned to a disk :)

[@GameLeaderR]

When i heard they did that i bought it on steam just to show my appreciation

[@EliosMoonElios]

Wrong, they do it because their game was total ignored, no streamer was playing it so they ask to pirate it to get promotion.

[@sweatyslapfight7900]

I bought that game too on steam just because of that

[@MagnumLoadedTractor]

Hey if you upload game footage atleast they get free advertising

[@chzaarscorner9171]

That makes a lot of sense when it comes to piracy > G2A. If you pirate it then at least there's a chance you might buy it later on. If you buy it from G2A well then you have your copy (albeit an more than likely illegitimate one) and so why would they buy another? So yeah this sounds about right.

[@Ztygs]

It's not about that. It's about the charge back on the stolen credit cards.

[@chzaarscorner9171]

@@Ztygs I probably should have clarified but yes you're 100% right in that the chargeback is a problem. It was what was hinted at with illegitimate copies but should have been clearer.

[@WaidoGodX]

Why would you buy a copy after you pirated it tho? If you played through the game and got everything out of it there is no point in buying it afterwards unless it has a mp. On that note is this just G2A or keyresellers in general? I rarely buy from G2A because they have this gold protect thing which costs like 2 bucks more to protect you from false keys. Not that 2 bucks is a lot but I always thought it's shady to have such a service in general. If you sell something it should work even without buying a premium service that guarantees it to work... It's like selling a car and saying it might not turn on unless you pay another couple of bucks to guarantee it will turn on.

[@Ztygs]

@@WaidoGodX To be fair I've pirated a game, ended up really enjoying it and bought a copy when I had a bit more money. I've not even played my Steam copy yet. But I wanted to support the Dev at least a little when I could. And for your question: most key reselling sites are shady at best and like the video says if it's too good a deal to be true then...

[@SinaelDOverom]

@@WaidoGodX If "doing the right thing" is not enough for you and you need an incentive, then multiplayer, achievments, steam forum discussion, steam workshop etc.

[@theroyalaustralian]

Pirating is straight up illegal. DO. NOT. PIRATE GAMES.

[@MrMTGPsycho]

As it turns out, TotalBiscuit warned us about this years ago. Now, I'm not sure what the conclusion of that was. With his passing, very few people are actually aware of what actions Gearbox took, if any, nor are we fully aware of the full scope of what Bain had discovered. I miss him and wish he was here to enjoy his "I told you so" moment. That said, this is a shady as hell site that should make every gamer feel unclean about using.

[@loopykill]

Glad you're bringing this back to the attention of people. It kind of disappeared after we sadly lost totalbiscuit!

[@floogle6]

People who use g2a or pirate from an indie dev,would probably steal your nans jewelry at her funeral.

[@imdone8243]

I would steal the coffin and drop your nan on the floor. I need a good bed.

[@MrTastyM7]

she's dead :) she don't need it

[@TridonsEve]

Only game I ever bought on G2A was Fallout 76. Brilliant.

[@Shadoestar]

If you really care about games and the hard work developers put into them, don't buy from G2A.

[@MrTastyM7]

I don't :) that's why i buy from g2a

[@Xenonuke]

*And yet its g2a you see on Facebook with sponsored ads*

[@ImAnderZEL]

People have told me aswell they lose money due to G2A only small studios tho just like he said.

[@Yawyna124]

Oh, everyone loses money, it's just bigger companies have slightly more tolerance for shrink and fraud.

[@ImAnderZEL]

ya maybe the big studios can take it better so don't complain as much as a indie dev getting ruined by it.

[@friedzombie4]

Please do a follow-up on all key re-sellers Jim, I use Green Man Gaming a lot in the past and would like to see others like Kinguin and a new one I just bought Bloodstained from covered.

[@jb40691]

1:43 The on-screen text fits so well with your voiceover.

[@gzzuss]

I have bought from G2A years ago and the late Totalbiscuit open my eyes to their shady businesses. Now I just buy games from Steam or GOG if a feel the game is kinda meh a wait for sales.

[@darkop3191]

Reminds me of TB and the G2A Gearbox situation. RIP John Bain

[@doommaker4000]

F for the greatest gaming KZbinr that has ever graced this planet.

[@bazil4146]

G2A: The best way to legally launder money

[@Kay0Bot]

Remember when every gaming channel/streamer had G2A sponsoring?

[@0Avi0]

Oof...I didn't know G2A did all that. I won't ever use it again if that's the case.

[@ihaveaname699]

Bad?! I've never even _heard_ of them! ... maybe im out of touch.

[@ginkarasu]

@Joker I guess you meant to say streamer... And also a lot of youtubers (influencers) were and and some of them still are sponsored by G2A

[@shrektheogre4349]

“I don’t even know who you are!”

[@bwcbiz]

Sometimes, it's better not to know.

[@fantazjo]

my friend told me how cheap it is and i still prefered to buy from official stores ..... now i feel like a better person (black market gaming ...... what's the world come to)

[@PanRokador]

They ripped me off 15$ by providing no key, and when I contacted them, they instantly closed the issue saying that "case was finished on seller favour". Of course it was on his favour since I've got nothing. I'd not recommend buying from G2A, it's wise to wait for steam sale instead.

[@user-yc3ue9sw4w]

why isn't there a lawsuit against g2a? i'm genuinely curious

[@shirshanyaroy287]

The same reason torrents are technically legal. What G2A is doing is not illegal. They're technically just reselling keys. It's just that their business model is shady as fuck without actually being illegal.

[@cwovictor3281]

G2A is just the middle man. That'd be like suing Amazon itself because someone sold you a fake product. Can't do that.

[@moloney55]

@@cwovictor3281 No but Amazon has record of who sold you the fake product and means to charge them back. Even eBay has this setup to prevent fraud. I guess these protections are optional but they should be put into law, though who knows what backwater country G2a runs out of.

[@maxstr]

They are probably based out of China or Russia, good luck with suing them

[@TubeofDestiny]

@@shirshanyaroy287 No, what G2A is doing /is/ illegal (it's money laundering of stolen funds/funds coming illegal activities), but it's not illegal enough for the feds to mount a shutdown operation in Hong Kong (where G2A is legally based), especially knowing they would recreate a G3A on the next day and continue their business.

[@Xbiggie216X]

Well, if big companies don't want me to buy from g2a, they shouldn't keep selling their 10 year old games for practically full price. Now for Indies, I always support them.

[@taavidude]

Good thing I never touched G2A. I always found it to be shady.

[@MrTastyM7]

and yet every streamer and he's dog is sponsered by them. i've used them for 4 years only ever had 1 problem and that was a $2 game that was $29 on steam and i could have gotten a refund if i wanted but cause it was so cheap i didnt care. the only thing i would recommend is using paypal because they protect you

[@taavidude]

@@MrTastyM7 No thanks. I use a different key website which is not shady like G2A and allows me to use the local bank too since I don't have Paypal or MasterCard or any of that.

[@err0rc0degames]

I used to buy G2A keys when I was younger and didn't know about the scummy things they do.

[@crimealley1986]

"the drizzling shits" Appreciate the usage that prase Brother. Great video as always

[@crimealley1986]

@Heavy Metal Collector yeah i hear Corny saying it alot. I think i read it in either Bret Hart or Chris Jerichos books. It gets the point across well ha ha.

[@PokerPlayerJames]

I remember TB tearing them to shreds a couple years back. Nice to see some things never change.

[@gwouru]

the more things change, the more things stay the same.

[@ale-lp]

We should organize something and raid the tons of streamers and youtubers promoting G2A.

[@katamarandameko]

Simple solution. Never buy from a shop that you can also sell keys.

[@TheAisar87]

I'd say G2A is worse than piracy. I have to pay G2A for games.

[@noblesse8102]

@Simon WoodburyForget Not really, most things are better than piracy, G2A just isn’t one of them.

[@noblesse8102]

@Garett Crook True, it’s only pretty good when it’s those companies though, doing it to indie devs or actually good games with good business practices isn’t.

[@nibbaturtle3340]

Man, and I thought the Bethesda website was terrible

[@StrengthScholar0]

Damn now I feel bad for all the games I bought off of g2a. I had no idea the entire site was propped up on fraud.

[@killmichbp]

It still eludes me how G2 is allowed to have Esports teams and all.

[@FirelordJade]

So go to G2A only for your EA and Activision games : )

[@jhonbidon]

And gearbox 2k and deepsilver.....

[@Iksbrown]

No, don't. You won't screw over EA or Activision, only yourself. G2A is known for automatically subscribing you without notification and taking (stealing) your money.

[@WickedMuis]

Yeah, lets all support the credit card fraud business so crooks can keep on stealing people's credit card details and make money this way!

[@jhonbidon]

@@Iksbrown yes But you can deactivate it It's bad only if you don't pay attention....

[@Seskal]

I swear to God there was a G2A ad before this video I almost didn't skip because I thought it was the intro for sarcasm.

[@RadikAlice]

After Tarmack's video on key resellers I've steered clear of them, G2A specially Hell, quite a few of the games I own on GOG I torrented first as a way of demoing them. And in case anyone wonders, I did buy them eventually. But this does bring light to the importance of demos. For example TB, rest his soul. Sold me on RONIN years ago

[@bafle935]

Well, time to buy some EA game on G2A. ehehehe..

[@33melonpaws77]

huehuehuehue~!

[@AdmiralVortex]

Except you'd still be supporting fraud and theft

[@bafle935]

@@AdmiralVortex It's like choosing between a fraud or another fraud, as example : Anthem.

[@AdmiralVortex]

@@bafle935 The difference is between directly screwing over the industry and indirectly screwing over the industry. DO NOT BUY FROM G2A, NOT EVEN EA GAMES