Game Informer
published a short report this afternoon about retailers who are allegedly buying Steam keys for games through Humble Bundle sales and reselling those keys at a profit.
The chief subject of the report is 7 Entertainment, a PC game digital distribution company founded in Singapore in 2009. 7 runs a number of websites that sell CD keys and Steam keys for games, including storefronts like Gametime and Fast2Play.
Ed Key, co-creator of
Proteus and noted indie developer, independently verified that Fast2Play was reselling Humble Bundle game Steam keys -- which can be purchased for as little as $1 -- by purchasing a key for
Proteus through the F2P website, then comparing it to his log of Steam keys he'd issued.
Sure enough, he claims the key he purchased from Fast2Play matched one that he had already sold as part of a Humble Bundle deal. As of this writing, you can still purchase a key for
Proteus on Fast2Play for €3.40.
"I don't really consider this to be any different from piracy in my mind,” Key told Game Informer. “The only difference is that they're charging money for something that The Pirate Bay would give out for free."
It's worth taking time to read the
full Game Informer report, which includes further comments from Key along with input from other affected developers.
Gamasutra has reached out to representatives of 7 Entertainment for further comment.
