Valve Banning MW2 Keys

[[MyIS]Dan]

A recent post over at the Steam forums from habicabi claiming his Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 disappeared off his games list.

habicabi brought his CD Key via http://www.g2play.net, BurtonJ from Valve replied with the following:

"If you purchased just a cd key for the game then you purchased from an illegitimate seller and the game has been revoked."

"Not when the key was initially purchased fraudulently.

You should contact the seller as well as the site they are selling on (ex/ ebay)."

The thread has since been locked but you can still read it here. If anyone else is thinking of buying a MW2 CD Key then maybe Steam or a physicial copy would be safer.

[Mavrik347]

By "fraudulently", what they mean is legitimately from a shop they don't like or from a person who doesn't like it and is selling it on eBay.

Just more nonsense from IW as far as I can see.

[Vreki]

I think it all boils down to this: Did Activision get their money for the game or not?
Its hard to tell from the thread if is fake keys, or if Activision is trying to prevent resale of games from cheaper locations.

[RYKUU]

For major games like MW2 I always prefer to buy a hard copy, I then know I have it and if any problems arise they can be easily fixed (most of the time). However that is not saying steam is unsafe, just I like to physically own my games. It seems to be the right choice.

[MarineNugem]

For major games like MW2 I always prefer to buy a hard copy, I then know I have it and if any problems arise they can be easily fixed (most of the time). However that is not saying steam is unsafe, just I like to physically own my games. It seems to be the right choice.

Yeah me too, mate.

I hate so much Steam, that **** sucks so bad! I mean, I dont want to pay for a download, I want to pay for a DVD with the game inside wich I can install it anytime! In this Steam, I should pay and wait the download time, and if their ****ty servers arent okay I have to WAIT MORE!
It's like: WHAT THA **** IS THIS?!!!?!!

Go to hell Steam! THIS SUCKS ***!

[Vreki]

Yeah me too, mate.

I hate so much Steam, that **** sucks so bad! I mean, I dont want to pay for a download, I want to pay for a DVD with the game inside wich I can install it anytime! In this Steam, I should pay and wait the download time, and if their ****ty servers arent okay I have to WAIT MORE!
It's like: WHAT THA **** IS THIS?!!!?!!

Go to hell Steam! THIS SUCKS ***!

You are not going to like the future much!

[RangerXML]

First off, first time I can post in a thread about g2play.net without threat of being banned (most forums I hangout warn then ban for mentioning g2play.net, because how much valve does not like word of them and others to get out). Second, g2play.net buys the game in countries where the game is sold for cheaper then in the US (think of the fact that AU pays almost $100 for a game where in the US on average its about $60, w/tax) and then sells them via the internet to players in other countries. I've used their services a couple of times and I know plenty of other people without issue. Sometimes there are problems, but g2play.net has always had great customer service (refunds or fixing the issue).

On a side note, a friend and I were playing an MMO, he was using a 30 day free access. We were having alot of fun that we didn't realize that it was already the 31 day. If it wasn't for a service like this we would of been sitting high and dry at around 2 am with only myself having access since I owned the game and was already paying. We found a site just selling keys, he was able to get a key in 15min and continue playing.

On the negative, hackers use these sites to acquire new keys when they get banned (that or key gens). Or there are sites, other then g2play.net, that sell keys they got through key gens. I'm sure your all going to be looking at the negative. I frankly think IW/Actavision/Valve are only looking at the fact that they were not selling the game at the full suggested retail price and making the profit they would of if they would of bought the game in the US. I know plenty of WoW and LOTRO players from the EU who play on US servers because the game and monthly dues are cheaper here for the.

[[MyIS]Dan]

Yeah me too, mate.

I hate so much Steam, that **** sucks so bad! I mean, I dont want to pay for a download, I want to pay for a DVD with the game inside wich I can install it anytime! In this Steam, I should pay and wait the download time, and if their ****ty servers arent okay I have to WAIT MORE!
It's like: WHAT THA **** IS THIS?!!!?!!

Go to hell Steam! THIS SUCKS ***!

You can buy it [MW2] on disc, just you have to activate in Steam, if you have the disc then it'll install off the disc. As for their servers, I have always been able to max my connection with Steam servers.

If you pre-order a game, chances are they'll offer it for pre-load, meaning as soon as its released you should be able to play it than waiting to go into town or for the post man to come. But like Vreki said, you'll love the future.

[Vreki]

I see nothing wrong with it then. Its just like how the movie-mafia are trying to restrict DVD-releases to different regions.

If the keys are bougth legimately in the first place, then I see nothing wrong with reselling them.

[=98=]

If they are not an authorised distributor of the game, then IW do not get their royalties. In this case they are free to ban keys bought from unofficial sources.

It's the same as if you were to buy a piece of hardware from an unofficial distributor, the manufacturer won't honour the RMA (hence why they ask for an invoice).

[RangerXML]

There are (were) actually some pretty strong laws in the US regarding technology most of which are now being ignored, including you can't sell a piece of technology to a foreign country (like a computer to a foreign country, even though that computer came from Taiwan). The World Trade Organization, may have changed some of this. I don't know how this effects media. I remember reading about this years ago (more then a decade), don't know how things changed. I think it was something akin to treason, Clinton administration may have changed this, but as far as I know it was still illegal in the 90s.

Companies were some how exempt to this, some kind of a work around (trade agreements or something).

[Vreki]

If they are not an authorised distributor of the game, then IW do not get their royalties. In this case they are free to ban keys bought from unofficial sources.

As far as I understand, the games have at some point been bought from an autorised distributor, so IW has already got their cut.
I have little sympathy for their failure to squeeze extra cash out of the europeans.

It's the same as if you were to buy a piece of hardware from an unofficial distributor, the manufacturer won't honour the RMA (hence why they ask for an invoice).

I dont know how UK law works, but here the dirtibutor (official or not) is responsible for the RMA. The law requires them to handle the interaction with the manufacturer for you.

Besides in your example it would be a better analogy if the manufacturer tracked down your hardware and disabled it. I doubt they can get away with that.

[=98=]

As far as I understand, the games have at some point been bought from an autorised distributor, so IW has already got their cut.

Yea, can't quite explain that one. Anyway, might be a good thing. A lot of hackers of BF2 used CD-Key retailers to get new BF2 accounts cheap. When I lost my manual, I bought a new BF2 CD-Key for something like £4.99 (although it was banned about 6 months later when someone in Canada was hacking with it (so I guess it was a leaked key)).

I dont know how UK law works, but here the dirtibutor (official or not) is responsible for the RMA. The law requires them to handle the interaction with the manufacturer for you.

It's usually up to a year from the retailer and then any extra is direct with the manufacturer. But, if you buy the piece of hardware from an unofficial retailer, you won't get the full manufacturers warranty.

[PPSKevin]

sucks for the guy that got it off ebay XD