'Blackwell Deception' Indie Dev Claims 30,000 Steam Keys Stolen in Promotion

By Catherine Cai
published

Wadjet Eye Games provided their game for free. Unfortunately, hackers decided to try and take advantage of the system.

Developing for the PC platform is a difficult task, if only because of rampant piracy. It's a fear that's constantly on the back of developer and publisher minds alike. Some publishers, in a misguided effort to combat piracy, have laid down stringent DRM on their games. Other publishers and developers have simply sold their games DRM-free for a low cost, hoping that easy access would encourage legitimate sales. Unfortunately, some amoral gamers have decided to take advantage of such systems to ruin the entire experience for everyone. 

Recently, indie developer Wadjet Eye Games launched a promotion to give away one of its games, The Blackwell Deception, for free. Some hackers decided to take advantage of the system by stealing keys through masking their IP, grabbing up multiple copies of the game to sell later when the game was no longer free. People have stolen over 30,000 Steam keys of the game.  

"This whole thing has made me terribly terribly sad," stated Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye. The 30,000 keys have since been canceled. All other keys redeemed through legitimate means will still be honored.  

Catherine Cai
31 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Vorador2
    And this is why we can't have nice things.
    Reply
  • the associate
    Ok, but the 30,000 keys have been canceled...so where's the problem now?
    Reply
  • abbadon_34
    nice way to generate paper losses, much easier than selling games
    Reply
  • xroe
    11840913 said:
    Ok, but the 30,000 keys have been canceled...so where's the problem now?

    The problem is arse's who ruin it for everyone else.
    Reply
  • laststop311
    The keys were cancelled so no harm done so quit complaining.
    Reply
  • williamf3000
    The harm is potential in nature. Businesses must assess risk. This event increases risk in the future, which decreases the benefit to all. Furthermore, there is a real cost to the business. Internal resources have been diverted to these aholes. If anyone thinks that something like this does not affect business decisions, then they have no idea how business works!
    Reply
  • IndignantSkeptic
    Actually ironically this incident may have profited the developers. This meant there were less copies given out for free meaning more potential buyers and there is now a lot of free publicity because of this news report.
    Reply
  • maxiim
    11840913 said:
    Ok, but the 30,000 keys have been canceled...so where's the problem now?

    The problem is that there are people out there doing this.....
    Reply
  • somebodyspecial
    Keys canceled, problem solved. FREE advertisement/publicity...Shut up please. The news story should be, "pirates foiled as dev laughs at them and get free advertising"...ROFL. He's whining about nothing.

    Reply
  • somebodyspecial
    "Developing for the PC platform is a difficult task, if only because of rampant piracy."
    That's no different for any platform. You can buy chipped xboxs, ps3 hacked, etc. XGD3 anyone? All the different waves...DRM for xbox360...Once hacked I'd say it's much easier to pirate consoles game after game. At least you have to work for each PC game. There are sites totally dedicated to helping you with your console, so not sure either side has an advantage. If you want to crack it, no matter what it is, you can (and these people have no intention of paying EVER, thus attempting to thwart them just costs you money). There are people that will mod your xbox360/ps3 for you, after that you just have to be able to use imgburn via forums etc (free). Every PC game is possibly different and over it's life has multiple patches, cracks etc (which for some makes it worth a purchase right there, too much effort). ON the console side once hacked its just another burn and maybe a little patience between new firmwares. With a PS2 all you needed was two pieces of tape and a boot disc...LOL. Pirating is easy if you want it you got it. They should be thankful there are enough honest people to keep them in business. Lower the prices and you get more sales and even slow piracy. It isn't usually worth pirating something (for most) that is $30 or under. At $60? Well that's motivation for a lot of people especially when you can't return the product if it sucks. Which is probably why I usually wait for GOTY (patched, fixed, includes all DLC, so basically is what you should get the day it sells) :)
    Reply