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[kevboard]

Are you able to buy digital copies of Nintendo games on third party sites?

here's a price comparison for Mario Odyssey keys on PlanetKey:

 

[ArtHands]

here's a price comparison for Mario Odyssey keys on PlanetKey:

Nintendo be living in 2025 in this aspect and Sony is still stuck in 2010 for this

 

[ArtHands]

Dutch consumer foundation sues Sony for overpricing digital PlayStation games

The Dutch consumer foundation Massaschade & Consument alleges Sony prices digital PlayStation games at nearly double the cost of physical versions.

www.gamedeveloper.com

In a translated story from Tweakers, the foundation allege digital PlayStation titles in the Netherlands cost 47 percent more than their physical counterparts, despite reportedly lower distribution costs in the area.

In 2019, Sony stopped allowing third-party retailers from selling codes for digital games, meaning the only way to buy a digital PlayStation 4 or 5 game is with real world money or buying specifically priced cards at physical stores.​

Foundation chariman Lucia Melcherts further claimed Sony forces developers to "agree to the conditions that Sony imposes on them, including the price for which their games are displayed. [...] PlayStation players continue to pay the top prize, even for games that are years old."

 

[FreeY$L]

I guess going after Apple’s walled garden proved ineffective, so they took down the target down a notch.

 

[W11d]

Physical will die even faster if digital is more affordable

 

[Three]

They're not the same.

For example, you can only buy Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered digitally on PC/Xbox/Switch:

Assassin's Creed III Remastered Switch (EU & UK)

Buy Assassin's Creed III Remastered Switch (EU) ✔️ CD Key ✔️ Instant download ✔️ Fantastic price ✔️ Digital Download ✔️

www.cdkeys.com

This is what it's about. The fact that Sony does not allow 3rd party digital keys.

The only reason that particular key exists is because Ubisoft sold physical boxes with codes. If Ubisoft wanted to do this in addition to the Bluray release they could on PS too and it would show on reseller sites but the savings over retail Bluray releases wouldn't be as large as avoiding Nintendo's cartridge. Publishers who have done this on PS have often been lambasted for including only a code in the box and it died naturally, they could still do it though if they wished.

Dutch consumer foundation sues Sony for overpricing digital PlayStation games

The Dutch consumer foundation Massaschade & Consument alleges Sony prices digital PlayStation games at nearly double the cost of physical versions.

www.gamedeveloper.com

You do know that those are resellers right? steam, PS and Nintendo do not allow third party retailers to sell codes but they cannot do anything about resellers like CDkeys. If the publisher generates codes people can resell them however they like.

 

[mèx]

Wait... You can't buy Playstation keys from third party sellers? Lmao, what the fuck, I was not aware.

Run as fast as you can from that digital ecosystem. Buy physical.

 

[vkbest]

It’s going to be funny Sony explaining to regulators why in EU, their first party games on PSN are more expensive than Steam

 

[ArtHands]

The only reason that particular key exists is because Ubisoft sold physical boxes with codes. If Ubisoft wanted to do this in addition to the Bluray release they could on PS too and it would show on reseller sites but the savings over retail Bluray releases wouldn't be as large as avoiding Nintendo's cartridge. Publishers who have done this on PS have often been lambasted for including only a code in the box and it died naturally, they could still do it though if they wished.

You do know that those are resellers right? steam, PS and Nintendo do not allow third party retailers to sell codes but they cannot do anything about resellers like CDkeys. If the publisher generates codes people can resell them however they like.

Nintendo and Steam do allow games to be sold digitally on other authorized stores like Best Buy, Amazon, Humble Bundle, Fanatical etc

 

[Icymanipulator]

I’m a PS fan and I think this would be great for the consumers.

There is recently a sale going on for example, KoF15 Deluxe is discounted on multiple store fronts, it’s $10 on Xbox, $17.59 on Steam, and $20 on Sony. Same game. Not cool.

The King of Fighters 15 and its DLC steeply discounted, Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1, Under Night 2 and more also on sale

 

[Closer]

The most pertinent question is how the hell do you pronounce “Massaschade”?

About the same as any english word, basically. How about Reed, read, read, red?

 

[Three]

Nintendo and Steam do allow games to be sold digitally on other authorized stores like Best Buy, Amazon, Humble Bundle, Fanatical etc

Steam doesn't really allow retailers like amazon to sell steam keys. They have a similar ongoing lawsuit which recently became a class action like this has:

Wolfire and Dark Catt's antitrust lawsuit against Valve granted class action status

Wolfire Studios and Dark Catt Studios have been granted class action status for their continuing legal dispute with Val…

www.gamesindustry.biz

They updated their terms in response but they limit keys and it is in fact against the terms of service to resell them this was upheld in some countries like Germany but valve lost in France. They got in trouble for geoblocking in the EU too with said keys. They have apparently said they will remove them entirely if they lose the US dispute.

 

[mayham2199]

Wait... You can't buy Playstation keys from third party sellers? Lmao, what the fuck, I was not aware.

Run as fast as you can from that digital ecosystem. Buy physical.

Been that way since 2019. Haven't noticed a difference except at some point instead of waiting for a sale on PSN they literally just have sales going on year round. As soon as one sale ends another starts. It's actually been better to me for a while now.

Wanted to buy Rise of the ronin but it wasn't on sale. Saw the current sales ended on like 2/13. I saw that on 2/10 so I waited. Next sale started right after and Rise of the ronin was now on sale.

 

[simpatico]

I don’t believe in this for Apple or Sony. Europe doesn’t have to be this miserable. I hope they reverse course.

 

[Clear]

It’s going to be funny Sony explaining to regulators why in EU, their first party games on PSN are more expensive than Steam

What? They are different products! Please enjoy trying to run a PS5 executable on PC or vice-versa.

And being different products they are free to price them as they see fit.

There is ZERO chance of this going anywhere because you can buy store credit vouchers, essentially a "wildcard" that allows purchasing of any title, for less than their face value which serves the same function to the consumer.

And if you want to argue that this is unfair because only Sony can issue such credit vouchers, bear in mind that any piece of software running on a Playstation HAS to be licensed by Sony. You cannot publish on their platform without their approval, and you can't circumvent their DRM without running afoul of copyright infringement.

A console is not a general purpose computing product, it exists solely to facilitate playing proprietary software. There is no possible question of this as the business model has been established in the market for 50+ years! You may as well argue that there's an expectation to be able to play Playstation Software on Nintendo platforms!

 

[ArtHands]

Steam doesn't really allow retailers like amazon to sell steam keys. They have a similar ongoing lawsuit which recently became a class action like this has:

Wolfire and Dark Catt's antitrust lawsuit against Valve granted class action status

Wolfire Studios and Dark Catt Studios have been granted class action status for their continuing legal dispute with Val…

www.gamesindustry.biz

They updated their terms in response but they limit keys and it is in fact against the terms of service to resell them this was upheld in some countries like Germany but valve lost in France. They got in trouble for geoblocking in the EU too with said keys. They have apparently said they will remove them entirely if they lose the US dispute.

That doesn’t change the point that they sell digital games on these retailers. Steam do sell digital games on Fanatical, Indiegala etc while Nintendo sell digital games on Amazon, Best Buy, Target etc

But not Sony at all.

 

[ArtHands]

Wait... You can't buy Playstation keys from third party sellers? Lmao, what the fuck, I was not aware.

Run as fast as you can from that digital ecosystem. Buy physical.

Yup, that’s how it is. Even if Steam or Eshop doesn’t discount their digital games, you can look for discount for these exactly games at other retailers.

Rise of the Ronin isn’t on discount on Steam rn, but you can grab it cheaper at Fanatical with their own 15% discount code (FANATICAL15), or 10% at Gameplanet US. Profit goes to publisher and these retailers. Steam earn 0%.

Same for Nintendo and Xbox digital games. Nintendo Eshop or Xbox store ain’t the only digital stores you can buy their digital games. Retailers (like Best Buy) and publishers also earn from selling Nintendo/Xbox digital games.

Just not Sony Playstation digital games. Been like this for years.

 

[vkbest]

What? They are different products! Please enjoy trying to run a PS5 executable on PC or vice-versa.

And being different products they are free to price them as they see fit.

There is ZERO chance of this going anywhere because you can buy store credit vouchers, essentially a "wildcard" that allows purchasing of any title, for less than their face value which serves the same function to the consumer.

And if you want to argue that this is unfair because only Sony can issue such credit vouchers, bear in mind that any piece of software running on a Playstation HAS to be licensed by Sony. You cannot publish on their platform without their approval, and you can't circumvent their DRM without running afoul of copyright infringement.

A console is not a general purpose computing product, it exists solely to facilitate playing proprietary software. There is no possible question of this as the business model has been established in the market for 50+ years! You may as well argue that there's an expectation to be able to play Playstation Software on Nintendo platforms!

Spiderman 2 in PSN is different product than Spiderman 2 on Steam? No sense a 100% profit shop is more expensive than 70% profit it is

 

[Clear]

Spiderman 2 in PSN is different product than Spiderman 2 on Steam? No sense a 100% profit shop is more expensive than 70% profit it is

Not the same item, in two different markets of different sizes in terms of addressable audience and volume of competition, hence different market value.

What's more these items were not released at the same time, so the one launching first was obviously the premium/premiere product with its success justifying the production of the second as a cost-reduced derivative over time. Again, production cost is reflected in RRP.

 

[Three]

That doesn’t change the point that they sell digital games on these retailers. Steam do sell digital games on Fanatical, Indiegala etc while Nintendo sell digital games on Amazon, Best Buy, Target etc

But not Sony at all.

It does because again Fanatical is a reseller, based in the UK. It means nothing because Valve do not allow better prices elsewhere at actual retail in their terms. So keys are usually a result of what are called resellers buying them from cheaper regions, bundles, etc then reselling on their site which is why they are called resellers and why it cannot be stopped. Valve and some publishers have tried to stop resellers and still use geoblocked prices but lost those cases in court (bar Germany). Now we have to see what happens with the case of those developers vs Valve in the class action in the new case. If the devs win then it either means Steam will actually allow cheaper keys at retail and not just at resale or Steam stops keys entirely as they've threatened to do.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

This is a consumer protection organization (probably profit free), not just a random farmer

In Europe, these ones are corrupt beyond belief. Almost at the level of unions. It doesn't give the case any legitimacy.

 

[Eimran]

Good. Fuck Sony

 

[Yoboman]

that is ientirely rrelevant tho. especially since Sony's game codes in the past were region locked, Sony could IP lock codes.

I think on Xbox at the very least, Publishers can decide to also region lock their codes or to make world wide ones.
so this isn't really possible if the publishers don't want it to happen (not sure how they work on Steam) unless the user uses a VPN that hasn't been blocked by Sony/MS... which they could btw.

It's relevant because that's how you get a $50 gift card or cd key for $40. Without these shady resellers accessing loop holes or outright fraud then you'd be paying $50 for a $50 giftcard or cd key

 

[Moses85]

 

[ArtHands]

It does because again Fanatical is a reseller, based in the UK. It means nothing because Valve do not allow better prices elsewhere at actual retail in their terms. So keys are usually a result of what are called resellers buying them from cheaper regions, bundles, etc then reselling on their site which is why they are called resellers and why it cannot be stopped. Valve and some publishers have tried to stop resellers and still use geoblocked prices but lost those cases in court (bar Germany). Now we have to see what happens with the case of those developers vs Valve in the class action in the new case. If the devs win then it either means Steam will actually allow cheaper keys at retail and not just at resale or Steam stops keys entirely as they've threatened to do.

Fanatical, Gamebillet, Humblebundle etc are authorized key sellers who work with the publishers directly.

Fanatical

www.fanatical.com

Our online store has since sold over 100 million keys to gamers in over 200 countries, all sourced from official publishers.

FAQ » Who are we - and are we legal

– » Gamesplanet.com

uk.gamesplanet.com

Our service is legal - all of our keys come directly from the Publisher. A portion of the money that you pay for the games (not to mention the lion's share) will go to the Publisher. All the games we sell are with their express permission. With us you never have to use proxy servers to activate your game, and will never get presents from Russia or Steam gifts - and therefore you don't need to worry that your key will be blocked.

About Us

Authorized digital download store with indie and major publisher titles for PC, Mac and Linux platforms. Get the best prices, awesome deals.

www.gamebillet.com

All of our digital products come directly from the Publishers. We do not support grey market and code stripping practices. A great portion of the payments will go to the Publishers. With us, you never have to use VPN's to activate your game, and will never get Steam gifts. Therefore you don't need to worry that your key will be revoked. There is zero risk when activating your digital games from GameBillet.

PC Games - Buy & Download the latest PC releases-about - usa

Official PC & MAC Download retailer since 2004. DLgamer is the place where to buy your Steam, Origin, Ubisoft Connect games codes at the cheapest price.-about-usa

www.dlgamer.com

Is this service legitimate?
Everything we do is perfectly legal. All the games we propose are validated and sold with the authorization of the publishers themselves. As a matter of fact, for every purchase you make on DLgamer, a part of the amount you pay actually goes to them. It is not necessary to use a proxy server to activate your game, which basically means that there are no risks of having your keys desactivated in the future

About Humble Bundle

Humble Bundle is a distribution platform selling games, ebooks, software, and other digital content. Since Humble's founding in 2010, our mission has been to support charity ("Humble") while providing awesome content to customers at great prices ("Bundle").

www.humblebundle.com

Valve literally said they also provide game keys for publisher to sell on other stores. What stores do you think they are referring, if not HumbleBundle or Fanatical?

Steam Keys (Steamworks Documentation)

partner.steamgames.com

Steam Keys are single-use, unique, alphanumeric codes that customers can activate on Steam to add a product license to their account. Steam Keys are a free service we provide to developers as a convenient tool to help you sell your game on other stores and at retail, or provide for free for beta testers or press/influencers.

Publishers literally advertise their games on these platforms themselves.




Ziff Davis, owner of IGN, literally own Humble store.

Humble - Ziff Davis

Improving lives through a shared love of games. Humble sells games, ebooks, software, and other digital content. Humble offers limited-time curated bundles, Humble Choice subscription and Humble Store selling games, books, and software. A portion of sales goes to charity. Humble has raised over...

www.ziffdavis.com

Focus Multimedia Ltd., the retailer behind Fanatical, is own by Fandom

https://www.wsj.com/articles/tpg-backed-fandom-buys-gaming-e-commerce-platform-11614186324

 

[Mr Moose]

Dutch consumer foundation sues Sony for overpricing digital PlayStation games

The Dutch consumer foundation Massaschade & Consument alleges Sony prices digital PlayStation games at nearly double the cost of physical versions.

www.gamedeveloper.com

is with real world money​

Uh...

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

So keys are usually a result of what are called resellers buying them from cheaper regions, bundles, etc then reselling on their site

You are wholly confusing grey market resellers with authorised resellers, the latter, like gamesplanet, humble etc., get their keys directly from the publisher, with all proper regional pricing/activation restrictions in place.
This is literally part of steam's partner key generation service.

 

[vkbest]

Not the same item, in two different markets of different sizes in terms of addressable audience and volume of competition, hence different market value.

What's more these items were not released at the same time, so the one launching first was obviously the premium/premiere product with its success justifying the production of the second as a cost-reduced derivative over time. Again, production cost is reflected in RRP.

Sure mate, for EU regulators will be the perfect example how Sony abusive position with PSN

 

[Calverz]

Good

 

[Three]

You are wholly confusing grey market resellers with authorised resellers, the latter, like gamesplanet, humble etc., get their keys directly from the publisher, with all proper regional pricing/activation restrictions in place.
This is literally part of steam's partner key generation service.

I'm not, they're resellers too even though they buy keys from elsewhere. Steams ToS prevent retailers from offering keys at reduced prices.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

from elsewhere.

No, they get the directly from the publisher who generates them through's steam partner key generation service, which literally exists for that purpose.
Go and report steam's service to themselves if you are so deluded into believing whatever nonsense it is you believe.
They aren't anything like grey market key sellers.