G2A

For other uses, see G2A (disambiguation).

G2A.COM Limited (commonly referred to as G2A) is a digital marketplace headquartered in the Netherlands,^[1][2] with offices in Poland and Hong Kong.^[3][4] The site operates in the resale of gaming products by the use of redemption keys. Other products sold on the site are software, prepaid activation codes, electronics, and merchandise.^[5] As of March 2020, G2A's site has 20 million users.^[6][7]

G2A.COM

Type of site	Digital distribution
Available in	English, French, German, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
Area served	Worldwide
Founder(s)	Bartosz Skwarczek Dawid Rożek
Employees	600 (as of 2020)
URL	www.g2a.com
Commercial	Yes
Registration	Yes
Users	20 million (as of 2020)

History

The company was established in 2010 as Go2Arena by Bartosz Skwarczek and Dawid Rożek in Rzeszów, Poland.^[8]

The G2A Marketplace was launched in 2014.^[9] G2A PAY, the site's online payment gateway, was introduced in January 2015.^[10][11] G2A also partnered with BitPay, a U.S.-based payment processing system for Bitcoin.^[12]

In 2016, G2A partnered with WebMoney Japan.^[13] In July, G2A launched G2A Direct, a partnership program for video game developers and publishers.^[14] That December, it became the title sponsor of the Exhibition & Congress Center in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of Poland, located next to Rzeszów International Airport, which was renamed the G2A Arena.^[15][16]

In 2017, G2A partnered with Microsoft to use Azure cloud technology on the G2A marketplace.^[17]

In 2018, the company integrated Nexmo's two-factor authentication API.^[18] In July, electronics and merchandise were introduced to the site.^[19][20]

G2A Dev Studio

In 2015, G2A launched its virtual reality application called G2A Land, a virtual amusement park.^[21] G2A Land would later launch on Oculus Rift in 2017,^[22] and in 2018, the app would change its name to Funland.^[23]

In 2016, G2A and MSI created Gotham VR, a virtual reality promotion for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.^[24] In December of that year, G2A announced Blunt Force, a World War II-themed VR shooter game developed in collaboration with Mark Bristol.^[25][26][27]

In February 2018, G2A Dev Studio, which was responsible for VR projects, became an independent video game studio called Monad Rock.^{[28][29][30][31][32]}

Other ventures

Esports

From 2014 to 2019, G2A would establish partnerships with esports teams, such as Cloud9, Natus Vincere, Virtus Pro,^[33] and Polish esports organization x-Kom AGO.^[34][35][36]

In August 2016, G2A announced a partnership with Sporting Clube de Portugal.^[37]

In May 2017, G2A organized a boot camp for Virtus.pro and Natus Vincere in Rzeszów, Poland.^[38] In addition to training sessions, there was also a show match between the teams. A meet and greet with fans also took place in Millenium Hall, one of Rzeszów's largest malls.^[39] Piotr "Izak" Skowyrski, a native esports commentator, hosted the meet and greet event and also commented on match streams.^[38]

The EU-based^[40][41] Team Atlantis would join in November 2019,^[42] while the Polish Illuminar Gaming and Arcane Wave joined in March 2020.^[43]

Controversies

G2A has been subject to numerous controversies. Critics have labeled the website as a "grey marketplace", where users can resell keys bought at a lower price from one region to another at a much higher price.^{[44][45][46][47]} Many developers have called for their own games to be pirated because they make little to no money from G2A sales. In June 2016, tinyBuild's CEO, Alex Nichiporchik, accused G2A of allowing key resellers to resell fraudulently obtained game keys, costing the company US$450,000.^[48] Nichiporchik added that it felt pressured to participate in G2A's payment platform, which would take some of the sales revenue back to G2A, in exchange for rooting out fraud on its platform.^[49]

In 2017, the G2A Direct service was launched to allow developers to obtain revenue from G2A key sales.^[50] At that year's Game Developers Conference, outbound sales specialist Marius Mirek attempted to address G2A's reputation only to be subjected to ridicule.^[51] G2A Direct was criticized for only allowing 10% from key sales to go to game developers.^[52]

Addressing G2A in 2018, Charlie Oscar owner Sergei Klimov countered that G2A was not at fault, but indie developers "mismanaging their keys". He would also claim that the nature of economics between Eastern European companies and those in Western Europe and North America is also an issue. Klimov said that just as retail boxes could be unsold, bundle keys could also remain unsold or unused, and that a site like G2A is inevitable to offload and resell them.^[53]

In 2019, G2A proposed the development of a "Key Blocker" tool, through which developers can block the sale of keys that have been issued through promotions and giveaways.^[47] G2A stated they would need at least one hundred developers to show support for creating the tool, but only 19 developers would register. Unknown Worlds Entertainment founder Charlie Cleveland condemned G2A for "put(ting) the impetus on developers to have to take action..., while G2A profits off gray-market sales and credit card fraud."^[54]

Riot Games sponsorship ban

Riot Games banned G2A from sponsoring teams during the 2015 League of Legends World Championship, in response to a breach in Riot's terms of service where G2A was selling fully leveled accounts.^[55][56]

In 2016, INTZ's Gabriel 'Tockers' Claumann was fined over US$1,000 at Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLoL), for wearing a T-shirt with G2A's logo on the shoulder. Midway through the game, he was asked to apply masking tape over the logo and told he would be fined.^[57][58]

Gearbox partnership

On April 3, 2017, Gearbox Publishing announced a partnership with G2A to sell collector's editions of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition.^[59] YouTube game critic John 'TotalBiscuit' Bain was critical of the promotion, citing G2A's negative press coverage and accusations against the company, and threatened to withhold covering Bulletstorm, or any other Gearbox game unless Gearbox canceled the deal. On 6 April 2017, one day before Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition's release, Gearbox published a list of ultimatums made together with Bain for G2A to accept, which focused on G2A Shield, an open API for game developers, and G2A's payment system.^[60] When G2A didn't respond, Gearbox ended its partnership.^[61][62]

Product key fraud

Around June 2019, Unknown Worlds Entertainment accused the site of using promoted advertising in Google and other search engine results to promote sales of their games through G2A rather than other channels. They stated that they see no revenue from sales on G2A, and instead encouraged users to illegally download their games rather than purchase them on G2A. G2A countered these claims by proving that all of its keys were legitimate through previous programs, such as G2A Direct. G2A also asked developers to audit their keys, and guaranteed to pay the developers 10 times the value of any charge-backs resulting from problematic keys sold on G2A.^[63] Only two of them raised the issue: Unknown Worlds asserting $30,000 of chargebacks related to bad keys for Natural Selection 2 through G2A, and Wube Software for $6,600 of chargebacks for Factorio keys.^[54] In the case of Wube, G2A settled with the developers in May 2020 after confirming 198 keys were improperly purchased, settling for $39,600, tenfold the keys' cost.^[64]

References

1. "Divisions". G2A.COM - Official Corporate Website. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
2. "Top 101 Fintech Companies from The Netherlands". www.fintech.coffee. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
3. "G2A.COM contact details". G2A.COM. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
4. Jim Martin. "How does G2A work?". PC Advisor. International Data Group. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
5. "G2A now provides electronics, hoping to become a "one-stop shop" for gaming". PCGamesN. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
6. Socha, Joanna (26 March 2020). "G2A to look at raising EUR 100m from stake sale, in early-stage contact with investors – CEO". MergerMarket. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
7. Gregory, Aodhan (14 April 2020). ""I think it's morbid curiosity"- COVID-19 is changing gaming trends". mirror. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
8. "The Early History of G2A". PR Newswire. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
9. Adzo, Kossi (6 August 2020). "Here is how Bartosz Skwarczek G2A's CEO has turned his company into the largest online gaming marketplace in the world". Startup Info. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
10. Centre (7 December 2016). "G2A Pay aims to support 200+ payment methods by early 2017". Disruptive.Asia. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
11. "Marketplaces 2018: G2A.com". Tamebay. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
12. "Online Gaming Marketplace G2A Enables Bitcoin Payment In India". Inc42 Media. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
13. "The Paypers | Insight into payments | News | Reports | Events". thepaypers.com. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
14. "G2A Direct signs up "over 50" developers in four months, including Hi-Rez and SuperHOT". PCGamesN. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
15. "Wyborcza.pl". rzeszow.wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
16. INTERIA.PL. "G2A Arena – nowoczesne centrum wystawiennicze zyskało nową nazwę" (in Polish). Retrieved 16 April 2018.
17. Madan, Asher (12 February 2018). "Game marketplace G2A partners with Microsoft for recommendation and fraud protection systems". Windows Central.
18. "NEXMO AND G2A" (PDF).
19. "G2A now provides electronics, hoping to become a "one-stop shop" for gaming". PCGamesN. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
20. "El futuro de G2A es la inteligencia artificial". IGN España (in European Spanish). 1 August 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
21. "G2A Land Makes Playable Public Debut". VRFocus. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
22. "G2A Land Hurtles onto Oculus Rift". VRFocus. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
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24. "Ride Through the Streets of Gotham City With G2A and MSI's Latest VR App". VRFocus. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
25. "G2A makes further steps into games development, announces virtual reality shooter Blunt Force". MCV/DEVELOP. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
26. "G2A are developing their own VR game, Blunt Force, and it's a time-bending WW2 shooter". PCGamesN. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
27. "G2A announces VR title Blunt Force | bit-tech.net". bit-tech.net. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
28. "G2A.com Forms Monad Rock Videogame Studio". VRFocus. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
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30. "G2A Dev Studio goes independent as Monad Rock". Capsule Computers. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
31. "G2A dev Studio goes solo for the first time, Launches its first Game". 20 February 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
32. "G2A developer studio spins out as Monrad Rock". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
33. Gregory Ibañez (22 July 2016). . PVP Live. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
34. "Sauny, masaże, sypialnie, games room... tak się pracuje w biurze marzeń G2A w Rzeszowie". ESPORTMANIA.PL (in Polish). 19 December 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
35. "x-kom AGO". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
36. Piecyk, Marcin (29 January 2020). "G2A będzie dalej wspierać drużynę x-kom AGO. Jej fani dostaną 3 proc. cashback na zakupy". Nowiny (in Polish). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
37. Mike Stubbs (21 July 2016). . MCV. MCV. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
38. "Bootcamp Virtus.pro i Na'Vi w Rzeszowie!". ESPORT NOW. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
39. "Odwiedziliśmy Virtus.pro na bootcampie. Tak wyglądało ich miejsce treningu!". Cybersport.pl (in Polish). 19 May 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
40. "Team Atlantis 😷 (@Team_Atlantis) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
41. "About". Team Atlantis. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
42. Atlantis 😷, Team (6 November 2019). "We're happy to announce our new partnership with @G2A_com! pic.twitter.com/2pZMzaX8T2". @Team_Atlantis. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
43. Gaming, Illuminar (2 March 2020). "Z poniedziałku przynosimy dobrą nowinę! Illuminar oraz @arcane_wave rozpoczynają współpracę z @G2A_com! Oprócz wsparcia naszych zawodników CS:GO czy FIFA, wspólnie z nowym partnerem skupimy się na rozwoju naszej sekcji streamerskiej i aktywnościach dla społeczności!pic.twitter.com/talI7ZuDHr". @illuminaRGaming (in Polish). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
44. "How The Controversial Steam Key Marketplace G2A Got So Big". Kotaku. 8 January 2016. It's cheaper because individuals are selling the keys, not Blizzard. But it also means you don't know where the keys came from. Did someone simply have an extra key, or did they use stolen credit cards to defraud a game developer? There's no way to know, and unlike other prominent marketplaces, G2A doesn't automatically provide consumers with insurance for their purchases
45. "The truth behind those mysteriously cheap gray market game codes". Polygon. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
46. "G2A : haro sur les flibustiers de la clé Steam". Canard PC. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
47. Kerr, Chris (12 July 2019). "Under fire from game devs, G2A proposes new 'Key Blocker' tool". Gamasutra. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
48. "The tinyBuild Summer Madness Giveaway". tinyBuild.
49. Charlie Hall (22 June 2016). "As war of words between indie dev and reseller intensifies, IGDA distances itself". Polygon. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
50. Wesley Yin-Poole (28 June 2016). "G2A to give developers royalties on third-party auctions". Eurogamer. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
51. Dring, Christopher (20 April 2017). "G2A: "We're not a grey marketplace, people just don't understand our business"". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
52. "G2A heckled by developers at its own panel". Polygon. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017. Polygon reached out to many of those developers involved in the G2A Direct program. It's a partnership that allows developers to, among other things, keep a 10 percent portion of every game sold on the G2A marketplace regardless of its provenance. Most of those who answered our questions were lukewarm about the program, with one stating that the only reason he joined up was because he couldn't get G2A to take down the keys for his games that were already on sale.
53. McKEand, Kirk (22 January 2018). ""G2A is not evil," it's a symptom of indie devs mismanaging their keys". PCGamesN. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
54. Chalk, Andy (12 August 2019). "Subnautica dev to G2A: 'You now owe us $300,000'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
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56. Andy Chalk (9 October 2015). "G2A calls League of Legends sponsorship ban "an aggressive attack"". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
57. Mike Kent (19 February 2016). . Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
58. . Yahoo! Finance. 15 February 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016.
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61. Hall, Charlie (7 April 2017). "G2A's relationship with Gearbox ends with the launch of Bulletstorm remake". Polygon. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
62. Matulef, Jeffrey (10 April 2017). "G2A responds to Gearbox's withdrawal and TotalBiscuit's demands". Eurogamer. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
63. McAloon, Alissa (5 July 2019). "Developers and G2A clash over the impact of grey market keys on indies". Gamasutra. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
64. Batchelor, James (20 May 2020). "G2A and Wube Software settle $40,000 chargeback dispute". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 20 May 2020.

External links

• G2A.COM – Global Digital Marketplace
• G2A.CO – Official Corporate Website