[UPDATE] Ubisoft Removes Keys from Uplay Purchased on the Grey Market

Published: January 25, 2015 11:11 PM /

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Several Ubisoft customers have been complaining that their games are no longer working through Ubisoft's official Uplay service and that their games are being removed from their Uplay library. It appears that all games from non-official resellers such as discount online store G2A are being revoked and Ubisoft have recommended on their forums that buyers contact these sellers and ask for a refund.

While Ubisoft are claiming that this will only affect games purchased through unofficial retailers, supposedly amidst fears that these game keys have been stolen, Ubisoft have not offered a list of official retailers through whom their games will work. On the above forum thread the consumer stated that they would not be applicable for a refund until Ubisoft issued an official statement commenting that these keys have been revoked. As of the time of writing Ubisoft has yet to issue anything more official than this reply to the forum thread, and G2A is still selling Ubisoft games such as Assassin's Creed Unity and Far Cry 4 for around $30 a 50% discount on the Recommended Retail Price.

There are mixed feelings amongst consumers over the issue. Some are outraged that games they have been playing happily for more than a year no longer function, particularly when they paid for and did not pirate the game. Others feel that games on the grey market should be treated with caution and that Ubisoft are within their rights to remove games from Uplay which they feel could have been stolen.

While it is still a rumour and we are unsure of the situation with Ubisoft, TechRaptor has contacted Ubisoft for comment and will update this article as soon as we see a response. I also reached out to G2A through their online support and this is what they had to comment.

G2A chat

Again this is not an official response but it does state that consumers are applicable to a refund if they can screenshot proof that the problem is with G2A. Hopefully, Ubisoft will comment soon so customers can receive their refunds.

Were you affected by the removal of games from Uplay? What do you think of the Grey Market? Please comment below.

UPDATE: Ubisoft claims the above information is correct and official on their forums.  They also claim to be working on a statement so that consumers can receive their refunds from G2A.

UPDATE 2: EA has confirmed deactivated keys were purchased with false credit cards.

"A number of activation keys for Ubisoft products were purchased from Origin using fraudulent credit cards, and then resold online," an EA representative told us via email. "We identified the unauthorized keys and notified Ubisoft. 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. For more information on our policy is available here: http://help.ea.com/en/article/should-i-purchase-my-ea-downloadable-games-from-cd-key-sellers/."

UPDATE 3: Ubisoft has now said that keys which were stolen but installed and played successfully will be reactivated on Uplay. All unactivated keys will not work however.

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| Former Staff Writer

Georgina is a former writer for TechRaptor, you can find her on Twitter!