Update: Gearbox Backs Out of Controversial Bulletstorm/G2A Promo

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Believe it or not, G2A isn't as notorious as you think. Many people, myself included, haven't heard much at all about the company. I had only ever heard of them a few months ago when an indie developer said to torrent games instead of buying from G2A.

I'm not buying it for a second. A simple Google search would have shown plenty of articles dealing with G2A's shady practices; Gearbox should have an actual legal department to look into companies they want to deal with. Whatever it is that brought them into dealing with G2A, simple ignorance is not remotely a legitimate excuse.

Yes.. They are at fault. They were ignorant and made a blunder. However, it has swiftly been rectified nearly immediately after Totalbiscuit walked them through some issues.

No, not everyone is lying to you. The games industry isn't out to get you. So take off your tinfoil hat.

Ok, let's work with the assumption that Gearbox has made a stupid, but honest blunder out of ignorance. I still can't help but wonder why.

That the consumer or a starting dev doesn't know about G2A's shady business practices can be forgiven. But Gearbox is not your average consumer or a small starter who doesn't yet know the in and outs of the market. They are a big name veteran developer who should have much more knowledge about the market they create games for than that. They should be concerned about whom they do business with. Hence why they have PR people on their payroll, to research whether or not any move or deal would harm their image and reputation.

That Gearbox somehow still got caught unaware comes off as a surprising lack of caution.

 

[Elijin]

After everything is said and done, from my perspective down under, where the major platforms all jack up the prices 100-150%, some of them even offering those prices exclusively in USD without re-adjusting for that fact...

Well, at least G2A are slightly more openly criminal, and offer competitive pricing. If everyone's a crook, its hard to care about social media outcry against one specific crook alone.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

Funny how these demands are the things I'd require from any platform and it's too hard for them to live up to.
Or well... hard... they'd have to be willing to do it to imply any real difficulty, I feel.

 

[TelosSupreme]

Funny that this is considered a controversy while I'm still flabbergasted that this was a game they bothered "remastering." Meanwhile, older titles that actually need an update like System Shock and Riven have to be remade either through Kickstarter or by a dedicated indie team respectively. The games industry really has prioritizing in the bag.

Remaster and remake are too different things. A remake is literally that, the entire game remade, a remaster is when a game is given graphical improvements and maybe ported to a new engine or otherwise made playable on modern systems, but mostly left the same.

Even then I can still think of dozens of better and more memorable games from last generation alone to get that treatment.

 

[Blitsie]

Funny that this is considered a controversy while I'm still flabbergasted that this was a game they bothered "remastering." Meanwhile, older titles that actually need an update like System Shock and Riven have to be remade either through Kickstarter or by a dedicated indie team respectively. The games industry really has prioritizing in the bag.

We live in an industry where Dungeon Keeper 3 was shelved for a Harry Potter Quidditch game, and that was back when things weren't as utterly nonsensical as it is now.... I completely agree with you on their priorities

 

[Balimaar]

*shrugs*

*continues to buy games wherever he damn well feels like*

 

[The Lunatic]

I can't help but feel there's a degree of bias in that Total Biscuit is often sponsored by GoG, which in itself is a platform to buy video games, and thus a direct competitor to G2A.

There's also a degree of hypocrisy, in complaining that a company is shady whilst breaking up their attempts to be more legitimate.

 

[runic knight]

Gearbox looks like they were dumb, but responded the right way when they found out what was going on. Slight embarrassment, but not only handled he right way, but in a clever use of leverage that helps fight G2A shenanigans.

Total Biscuit looks exactly like what you'd expect a consumer advocate would in the gaming industry. Guy is good for calling out this sort of BS and good to see a large publisher responding to that well and actually paying attention.

GA looks like the scumbags they always were. Not surprising, they are.

I am happy with this outcome. Hopefully, Gearbox learns to pay a little closer attention to such dealings, people treat TB with more respect instead of howling like nutjobs about him because gamergate, and G2A dies a quick, messy death that costs those profiteers plenty.

 

[Rednog]

I can't help but feel there's a degree of bias in that Total Biscuit is often sponsored by GoG, which in itself is a platform to buy video games, and thus a direct competitor to G2A.

There's also a degree of hypocrisy, in complaining that a company is shady whilst breaking up their attempts to be more legitimate.

So you're accusing TB of doing all this because once and a while he does stuff for GoG....
Wow, just wow.
I'm sure all the journalists are who reported on G2As bullshit are all in a secret cabal with TB just wringing their hands on how to take down the poor, innocent, and misunderstood G2A. Wait, no. G2A is full of thieving scumbags who have no intention of ever being legitimate because money talks.

 

[The Lunatic]

I can't help but feel there's a degree of bias in that Total Biscuit is often sponsored by GoG, which in itself is a platform to buy video games, and thus a direct competitor to G2A.

There's also a degree of hypocrisy, in complaining that a company is shady whilst breaking up their attempts to be more legitimate.

So you're accusing TB of doing all this because once and a while he does stuff for GoG....
Wow, just wow.
I'm sure all the journalists are who reported on G2As bullshit are all in a secret cabal with TB just wringing their hands on how to take down the poor, innocent, and misunderstood G2A. Wait, no. G2A is full of thieving scumbags who have no intention of ever being legitimate because money talks.

????

All I said was there seems to be a conflict of interests.

This is Total Biscuit we're talking about, a guy who thinks people should disclose every relation a person has before speaking about a topic and has said frequently about how he believes this should be standard practice in the industry.

Expecting a "Oh, I was sponsored by GoG for a bit, who are a competitor to G2A" disclaimer really doesn't sound like a huge expectation.

 

[chiggerwood]

all of the requests made of G2A.COM in the ultimatum have in fact long been part of our marketplace.

That is the single most exquisite line of bullshit I've ever heard. I was a customer of G2A until recently and all of that is a lie, and they fucking know it. It is amazing how audacious this lie is. They're still charging for G2A Shield and it's over three dollars at this point and none of the demands are implemented either. I'm not mad, I'm just amazed; fuck G2A.

 

[ToastyMozart]

Expecting a "Oh, I was sponsored by GoG for a bit, who are a competitor to G2A" disclaimer really doesn't sound like a huge expectation.

Probably because GOG is a competitor to G2A in the same sense that a jewelry store is a competitor to ghetto-adjacent pawnshops.

And he usually does mention his GOG affiliation when G2A comes up, perhaps it just slipped his mind this time.

 

[ToastyMozart]

*shrugs*

*continues to buy games wherever he damn well feels like*

If that's your approach you may as well just pirate them.

No seriously, torrenting a game is legitimately less harmful to the devs and the industry than supporting a company that fucks them both over on a daily basis like G2A.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

After everything is said and done, from my perspective down under, where the major platforms all jack up the prices 100-150%, some of them even offering those prices exclusively in USD without re-adjusting for that fact...

Well, at least G2A are slightly more openly criminal, and offer competitive pricing. If everyone's a crook, its hard to care about social media outcry against one specific crook alone.

Companies jacking up their prices is not at all comparable to a company that's enabling actual widespread credit card fraud, dude. And I live in New Zealand where we also pay through the nose for games.

*shrugs*

*continues to buy games wherever he damn well feels like*

Do the industry a favor and just pirate your games instead of buying from G2A. At least that way you won't be giving money to credit card fraudsters and causing developers to have to deal with mass chargebacks.

I can't help but feel there's a degree of bias in that Total Biscuit is often sponsored by GoG, which in itself is a platform to buy video games, and thus a direct competitor to G2A.

There's also a degree of hypocrisy, in complaining that a company is shady whilst breaking up their attempts to be more legitimate.

So you're accusing TB of doing all this because once and a while he does stuff for GoG....
Wow, just wow.
I'm sure all the journalists are who reported on G2As bullshit are all in a secret cabal with TB just wringing their hands on how to take down the poor, innocent, and misunderstood G2A. Wait, no. G2A is full of thieving scumbags who have no intention of ever being legitimate because money talks.

????

All I said was there seems to be a conflict of interests.

This is Total Biscuit we're talking about, a guy who thinks people should disclose every relation a person has before speaking about a topic and has said frequently about how he believes this should be standard practice in the industry.

Expecting a "Oh, I was sponsored by GoG for a bit, who are a competitor to G2A" disclaimer really doesn't sound like a huge expectation.

He DOES, though. Pretty much every time he talks about G2A, he mentions his affiliations with competing groups and how he understands that many people will see that as a conflict of interest.

He even ENCOURAGES people to be suspicious of this conflict of interest (that's only sensible), but he also points out that it doesn't invalidate what he's saying.