Some gamers who have purchased Steam keys for Rebellion’s Sniper Elite 3 have unfortunately seen their game revoked from their account. Unfortunately, a bunch of Steam keys were allegedly stolen and then resold to multiple companies who are selling the game. These stolen keys meant that no payments were going to either Valve or the retail site who sold them.

Rebellion were first informed of the stolen keys by one of their PC retail distributors who suspected a batch of their keys had been stolen or leaked. Steam were immediately informed and Rebellion took the action of revoking all the stolen keys.

In an update posted on Steam, Rebellion stated, “We have been saddened to learn that some fans have been caught out by companies selling unlicensed or stolen Sniper Elite 3 Steam keys. If you have been affected by this we encourage you to contact the seller in question and seek a refund immediately.”

“In addition we’re aware that some gamers may have pre-ordered these keys in good faith, believing them to be genuine - missing out on both the game, and the “Target Hitler” DLC pre-order incentive.”

“To clarify, one of our PC retail distributors informed us that some of their allotted Steam keys were stolen. We believe these keys were then resold to multiple companies, with no payments going to either Valve or the retail distributor.”

It’s unclear how many people have been affected by purchasing their key from third-party retailers or which retailers specifically have been affected. SimplyGames.com appears to be one retailer who had acquired these keys as they are no longer selling the PC version of Sniper Elite 3. According to Twitter, CDKeys.com also sold “stolen” keys to customers however they seem to be willing to refund those who have seen their game revoked. Instant-Gaming.com has listed the game as out of stock and posted a message on Sniper Elite 3′s product page stating, “The publisher Rebellion did a big mistake on some of the games delivered to all distributors and some were deactivated by Steam. This problem affect more than 50 shops. No worries, you just have to contact us and we will refund or replace your game.”

It would appear that all the retailers bought these keys in good faith, believing they were legitimate keys to sell to their customers. Rebellion state they are more than happy for you to purchase keys from retailers other than Steam and are not accusing retailers of foul play, just this one batch of keys.

“As a developer Rebellion are happy for you to purchase the game anywhere you see fit and support price competition in the PC market - we have in no way targeted any specific vendors (who may have also thought these keys were legitimate), just this one set of keys.”

If you have had your game revoked from Steam, Rebellion suggests that you contact the retailer you purchased your key from and ask for a replacement key, of which most, if not all retailers we have seen affected by this so far seem to be more than happy to help rectify the issue.

In addition, Rebellion will also offer the “Target Hitler” DLC FREE to all those affected. You just have to email and include a receipt or proof of purchase from the original (blocked) vendor along with the original (blocked) Steam key you were sent. More information is available on the Steam post.

I would just like to add that this may well be worth a read if your interested in this situation from the view point of the retailers themselves. Although CJS-CDKeys.com can’t speak for everyone, it does provide a look into the events as they unfolded. You can check it out here.

Have you been affected by this batch of stolen keys? If so have you found it easy to get the problem rectified?

Source: *Steam