Ubisoft’s been the target of much consumer ire of late, with the revelation that it had been deactivating a number of keys for Far Cry 4. Those keys were purchased from unauthorised sellers; digital marketplaces that function much like eBay.
A large number of gamers have reported having their copies of Far Cry deactivated without notice. The offending resellers have given statements, saying that it was wholly unfair on Ubisoft’s part. Ubisoft has now, however, confirmed that the keys were stolen. And they were stolen from an unlikely source. EA”s Origin.
“We confirmed activation keys were recently purchased from EA’s Origin store using fraudulent credit card information and then resold online,” Ubisoft said to Gameinformer. “These keys may have been deactivated. Customers who may have been impacted should contact the vendor where they purchased the key for a refund.”
EA has since confirmed that the affected keys, later resold on sites like G2A and Kinguin, were effectively stolen. The publisher has since temporally removed Ubisoft games from its digital storefront in order to “protect against further fraudulent purchases”.
“A number of activation keys for Ubisoft products were purchased from Origin using fraudulent credit cards, and then resold online. We identified the unauthorized keys and notified Ubisoft,” ERA said. “If you are having trouble with an activation key, we recommend you contact the vendor who sold it to you for a refund. We strongly advise players only purchase keys from Origin or trusted resellers.”
Of course the internet, so fond of conspiracy as it is, believes it’s little more than a ploy from publishers to get consumers to pay full price for games. Games are indeed expensive – perhaps overpriced – but I don’t think there’s a need for tinfoil hats here. The games in question were stolen, and that should be the end of that.
Last Updated: January 28, 2015
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
January 28, 2015 at 11:04
The take home message? Buy second-hand! Buy a physical copy! 😛
Quo Vadis?
January 28, 2015 at 11:10
Give this man a Be… Upvote!
RinceThis
January 28, 2015 at 11:20
I don’t usually agree with yella things, but YES!
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 11:28
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/0gvfsmuqtnmvp5xcmycl_grocery-store-banana-kick.gif?w=400&h=372
Corrie
January 28, 2015 at 11:30
I guess Jim is protecting his fell banathren
Quo Vadis?
January 28, 2015 at 11:43
Oooh! Someone’s gonna get a moerse PK!
HvR
January 28, 2015 at 12:03
‘n Piesang Klap
Quo Vadis?
January 28, 2015 at 12:07
Die Klap gedeelte is reg, maar die piesang gaan ge…. word ;P
HvR
January 28, 2015 at 12:09
Ek gat jou so hard klap dat jou bo lip terug vou soos ‘n piesang skil.
Quo Vadis?
January 28, 2015 at 12:22
Dis hard daai!
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
January 28, 2015 at 12:53
Banana dropkick like a boss!
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 13:15
Jim’s people needed him!
Mossel
January 28, 2015 at 11:24
Yes! Physical copy FTW!
HairyEwok
January 28, 2015 at 11:33
Well it seems to be a hard thing to do now since games like dying light physical copies get delayed 1 month. That will be the new thing soon…. Physical copy delays.
Lord Chaos
January 28, 2015 at 11:34
Giving people enough time to decide if they still want the game after hearing from others who bought digital.
HairyEwok
January 28, 2015 at 11:35
Review will take up to a month to make since the Journos only got their digital copies yesterday. Good thing I’m broke so I have no worry of any game at the moment.
Lord Chaos
January 28, 2015 at 11:38
And we have more time to whittle away at the backlog.
HairyEwok
January 28, 2015 at 11:52
OH GOD THE BACKLOG. Where will I ever find the time to unbacklog the backlog.
Kensei Seraph
January 28, 2015 at 12:08
I’ve pretty much accepted that I will never finish my backlog.
Well at least someone will benefit for a few thousand (it will keep growing) games when I pass away.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
January 28, 2015 at 12:30
The Backlog… it keeps us honest.
Tosh MA
January 28, 2015 at 12:50
Second hand for consoles only (so that they can pay PC new release prices)
Physical for if you have a fucking storage shed.
Fuck physical, buy from trusted digital. Seriously, Steam, Origin, Uplay, GoG, Humble Bundle. That’s where I buy. Nowhere else.
Lord Chaos
January 28, 2015 at 11:10
Something went wrong where both Ubi and EA were involved? How can we not engage tinfoil hats?
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 11:13
Buying Ubisoft games through Origin. I’d be very suspicious too.
RinceThis
January 28, 2015 at 11:16
HAHA! Buy real, noobs.
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 11:20
This is why I prefer my physical copies. No risk of an online purchase being potentially “fake” so to speak
Tosh MA
January 28, 2015 at 12:48
Steam isn’t fake. Just saying.
Fuck Physical, I don’t have space for all those fucking boxes any more. I have 2 HUGE boxes full of old game boxes. And shelves of the shit too.
Thanks. Digital is where I’ll buy.
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 13:17
Yes, but everyone knows steam is legit. That’s fine. If you buy from a dodgy place you need to wonder about the legality of your purchase though
Tosh MA
January 28, 2015 at 13:19
Yes, but that’s how it works in other things too.
Buying a watch. Chinese flea market “Rolex” for R150, or at Browns for R1500? Now, to compare to what happened here: buy that same Rolex (real, not fake) for R150 from some dude on the side of the road.
Yeah, common sense is all one needs.
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 13:20
exactly. If someone is selling me a genuine Rolex for R150 I am going to kindly pass up the opportunity because it has to be stolen
Ghost In The Rift
January 28, 2015 at 11:28
Yeah i will never stop buying a physical copy.
Kensei Seraph
January 28, 2015 at 11:46
I like how even they acknowledge that Origin is not a trusted reseller.
Admiral Chief
January 28, 2015 at 12:37
XD
HairyEwok
January 28, 2015 at 12:02
Hold up…. What the hell is Ubisoft games doing on Origin? Isn’t Ubisolf all about their Uplay.
HvR
January 28, 2015 at 12:05
Wonder if the victims of the credit card fraud is also being paid back the money by Origin and Ubi?
Spaffy
January 28, 2015 at 13:00
Origin was the victim.
Brady miaau
January 28, 2015 at 13:00
I have been a victim several times and the bank always refunds me. How they get their money back I know not.
*Edit* always my wifes card linked to my account and she is the ultra careful one, not me. Go figure
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 13:18
Remember in this case the banks would have taken back the money Ubi got from these fraudulent cards. You can’t expect Ubi to lose those sales and then give money back to people who bough the games. That’s double paying from Ubi.
Brady miaau
January 28, 2015 at 12:23
I do not understand all the comments about physical copies being the only way
I buy from Xbox Live, when is sale. Physical Copies are still verified on Xbox live, except if your console (360 only?) is chipped.
I buy on-line from a known good reseller (Takealot.com) a physical copy of Civ Beyond Earth. It only works when Steam says it may. So I might as well have bought just from Steam.
Tosh MA
January 28, 2015 at 12:51
Exactly, and if you just buy from Steam then you don’t have to worry about those boxes taking up space.
Brady miaau
January 28, 2015 at 13:00
That said, I love my Mass effect 3 collectors case and physical copy. It is nice to have some games as physical copies, but the brutal pricing is not worth it for most collectors editions.
Tosh MA
January 28, 2015 at 13:16
I agree on this as well. Some of those collectors look so damn good, but then I see the price and just move on.
Gideon Venter
January 28, 2015 at 12:54
Easy fix, get a refund from the dodgy store and buy from their trusted re-sellers. Can’t see how else Ubisoft should have handled this.
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 13:16
Yep. Unfortunately, in this case, Ubisoft had the right to remove the keys.
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
January 28, 2015 at 17:35
Well the vendors did say “ORIGINal” keys..