A partnership between developer Gearbox and digital marketplace G2A is on the verge of collapse due to the latter's controversial reputation.
Gearbox has announced a collector's edition for Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, and it will be exclusively sold through G2A. However, the partnership is now in peril due to the involvement of an influential YouTuber.
Gearbox, G2A Partnership In Danger
G2A has been involved in different cases of fraudulent Steam keys being sold through its platform and has received allegations of fraud as well as money laundering.
Influential YouTube creator John Bain, who goes by the name TotalBiscuit, called out the partnership and said through a tweet that he will not be covering Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition and all other Gearbox games that will be released in the future due to the developer's involvement with G2A.
"A message must be sent that greymarket havens for fraud and theft will not be normalized in this industry," Bain added.
Bain's statements prompted Gearbox to reach out to him, and together, they have issued a statement that demands dramatic changes from G2A for the exclusive deal over the collector's edition of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition to continue.
Gearbox Ultimatum To G2A
In order for the publishing agreement between Gearbox and G2A to continue, Gearbox demanded that the digital marketplace make its G2A Shield service free within 30 days. The service, which protects its customers from fraud on its platform, currently requires a separate paid subscription, which should not be the case, as all stores should automatically offer fraud protection to its customers.
G2A will also have to open a web service or API within 90 days to certified developers and publishers that can be used to identify and remove fraudulent keys being sold on G2A. The service should be free to developers and publishers.
G2A will also need to implement throttling against non-certified developers and publishers within 60 days, with the aim of protecting legitimate developers and publishers from stolen goods being sold on the platform before they have been flagged as such.
Lastly, G2A will have to restructure the service's payment system within 30 days that will allow customers to buy and sell authentic game keys without any hidden charges.
"Gearbox Publishing won't support a marketplace that is unwilling to make these commitments and execute on them," the developer added.
If G2A listens to Gearbox and implements the demanded reforms, it will not only benefit themselves and their customers but also the entire video game community. However, the issues of G2A have been prevalent for years, which means that in addition to skepticism that it will start cleaning up its act now, Gearbox should have thought twice about teaming up with the platform in the first place.
Collector's Editions For 'Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition'
On the G2A page of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, there are two types of collector's editions for the game.
The standard collector's edition, listed for €99.99 or about $106, comes with specially made dog tags and an airbrushed, 3D-printed figurine of either Grayson Hunt, Trishka Novak, or Ishi Sato. There are only 16 units of this version for each character.
The premium standard collector's edition, meanwhile, is listed for €249.99 or about $266. It comes with a Bulletstorm T-shirt, a Bulletstorm mouse pad, specially made dog tags, and a hand-painted, 3D-printed figurine of the three characters. There are six variants of the figurines, with only 9 units available for each.
