[Update: David S. Gallant has reneged on his plans to withhold Steam keys from #GamerGate supporters]

A flurry of emotions went ripping through the ranks of the consumer revolt known as #GamerGate when the developer of the game I Get This Call Every Day, David S. Gallant, opted to prevent those supporting #GamerGate from receiving a Steam key if they paid for the game outside of Steam. Alternatively, everyone else who purchased the game outside of Steam will receive a Steam key. The digital distribution outlet, Desura, was not pleased with David S. Gallant’s actions.

Gallant made his actions quite clear on a Storify post [backup], explaining…



“I Get This Call Every Day has been for sale since Dec 21 2012 using various sites before it was greenlit for Steam in April 2014, it has sold over 6800 copies, not counting the physical edition & free codes. A Steam code has never been part of the purchase. This is not fraud. No developer or publisher owes you a Steam code for a game purchased outside of Steam

“What I plan to do is cross-reference my purchaser records with any associated Twitter accounts, and flag those that support then I will work with my storefront partners to ensure that Steam codes are linked all purchaser accounts but those I've flagged It will take a lot of work for what is essentially a spiteful and ultimately meaningless act. But it is most certainly not fraud.

“If you don't care about the game, good; I don't care that you don't care, #GamerGate. You were never my audience in the first place.”



The issue is that Gallant believes that anyone supporting #GamerGate is attached to a harassment campaign”. A narrative that’s been falsely pushed by games media and mainstream media.

According to Gallant…



“To further clarify: everyone who purchased I Get This Call Every Day through itch.io, Humble, Desura, Fastspring, or Sellbox will still have access to their purchases through either their itch.io account, Desura account, or their Humble account (for everyone who didn't purchase via itch.io or Desura). No one is losing the product that they paid for.

“If you are a member of GamerGate, and purchased the game in expectation of a Steam key based on previous information, I will be handling refunds on a case-by-case basis: contact me with the email used to purchase the game.”



This act of perceived anti-consumer behavior prompted a response from Desura, the online digital distribution and independent software e-tailer, who checked Gallant about his behavior, on Twitter, stated…



"Honestly... Nobody forced your hand. You decide just how involved you want to get in the matter.



“You openly took your opinion to new levels by issuing a threat that isn't even viable. Not cool...”



Gallant proceeded to have his game removed from Desura since they didn’t support his decision to withhold Steam keys from consumers who support #GamerGate.

[Updated: According to Gallant, he opted to have his game removed not because Desura didn’t support his plan, but because he felt they acted unprofessionally.]

I reached out to Desura, who quickly responded, about whether or not Gallant’s game would be welcome back on their service if he decides to change his stance. It was stated…



“Yes. We didn't remove his game, he did. His game is welcome as long as he abides by agreement/[terms of service]. Caveat is that if he uses Desura to distribute steam keys, they will go to ALL buyers, without discrimination all buyers on Desura will be treated equally.”



I also reached out to Gallant to ask whether or not he would eventually restore his game on Desura or if would consider changing his stance on those partaking in the consumer revolt against corrupt media practices, but at the time of the publishing of this article, I haven’t received a response.

You can learn more about Desura as a digital distribution service by paying a visit to the official website.

[Update:] Following the publication of the article, Gallant responded, stating the following…

The decision to remove I Get This Call Every Day from Desura was not because they did not support my plan. I had previously clarified that I would be unable to enact my plan regarding Desura customers: [link]