Well, No Max Payne 3 for Me Today…

Long story short: two months ago, I pre-ordered a Max Payne 3 Steam key through G2Play.net, a website that I thought was trustworthy… Until today. I received my key yesterday, as supposed. Not only was it not a Steam key, I had no idea where to redeem or what to do with it. No Instructions. Nothing.

After coming back from a heavy workout session at the gym this morning, I was looking forward to playing May Payne 3, a game that I have been waiting to play ever since I finished Max Payne 2. Tried to redeem the key through Steam. Didn’t work. Looked around the internet. Didn’t find anything.

After a while I decided to use the live support chat that G2Play has, which I am quite thankful for. Here is how the conversation went:

Mateusz: Hello TheFingersHurt. How may I help you?

TheFingersHurt: Hello. Two months ago, I ordered a Max Payne 3 key on G2Play. Back then it said that it would be a Steam key. I did receive a key, but it is not Steam after all.

Mateusz: Yes, there was a mistake. This key is not steam, but RETAIL version. If you want a refund please contact us at sales@g2play.net Make sure you include your order ID.

TheFingersHurt: It’s not that I want a refund. I just don’t agree with the fact that keys are now going for half the price of what I paid for what I thought was going to be a Steam key.

Mateusz: You still want to keep your RETAIL key?

TheFingersHurt: Yes.

Mateusz: Please contact us at sales@g2play.net and describe the whole issue there, all right? LiveChat is not safe channel to disscuss money/refunds/discounts matters :)

TheFingersHurt: Okay, thanks. One more question: I have no idea how or where to activate this retail key.

Mateusz: As states on the product site g2play.net…ayne-3-Retail-CD-Key.html:

Original Retail CD Key: This product might show ideal for gamers with the original CD/DVD of the game but there CD-KEY was banned, stolen etc. Please note that the publisher of the game might not support direct digital download of the game from its website / servers. The CD-Key provided by G2PLAY comes from original package of the game and you will be the first owner of this CD-Key and enables you to play on the official multiplayer servers of the game.

TheFingersHurt: Yes, but what do I have to do with this key? Do I have to download a client or something?

Mateusz: You can try borrow a DVD from a friend or download installation files from wherever you want, on your own risk.

TheFingersHurt: So, I’m basically supposed to download it illegally…

Mateusz: Well, this is RETAIL version. It is very good for players with banned IP for example.

TheFingersHurt: Which I am not. So, I’m basically stuck with a key I paid full price for. Never expected this from G2Play.

Mateusz: We can offer you a refund for this key if it is not used.

TheFingersHurt: Yes, I’ll ask for a refund.

Mateusz: Please contact us at sales@g2play.net regarding this matter. Please include your order ID.

TheFingersHurt: Okay, I will. Thanks for your help.

Mateusz: No problem. Have a nice day :)

TheFingersHurt: You too. Bye.

After checking how much I paid for the supposed Steam key, I saw that I paid around $50. On the day of release, which is today, the same keys are going for $30. This time, however, the website specifies that the key is a retail version, and not a Steam one, like it said when I ordered mine two months ago.

What’s bugging me the most isn’t even the fact that they tried to scam their customers, but more that I won’t be able to play the game. I’m not even sure if I’m still going to buy it on Steam after all of this. What I’m sure of, though, is that G2Play can be sure that they won’t be seeing me again.