Small video games studios are asking the public to stop buying their titles from “unauthorised” markets, saying the sales cost them more than they earn. From a report: Several have said it would even be better if consumers pirated their games rather than purchased discounted unlock codes from the “key resellers.” One label is running a petition calling on the biggest such market — G2A — to halt sales of indie games outright. But G2A has defended its business model. It said the indies benefited from its policy of sharing a cut of sales made by third parties. “Hundreds of developers earn money from selling their keys through marketplaces such as G2A,” head of communications Maciej Kuc told BBC News.

“We don’t plan on taking away that possibility anytime soon, as it would be hurtful not only to our customers but also to the many developers who use our platform to their benefit.” He added that G2A already took measures to tackle illegal sales. And he said developers were partly responsible for some of the scams on its site because of the “thousands of free keys” they had created for giveaways. The campaign’s organiser, however, has dismissed this defence. “They are harming our industry and the value of our games,” Mike Rose, from the Manchester-based publisher No More Robots, told BBC News.

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