The Dirtbag
A few months ago, I received this e-mail:jose manuel carmona campello
Aug 29
hello,my name is Jose, I have a YouTube channel and I would like to promote your game gridiron solitaire , help increase their purchases, I have 64,000 followers , my channel is https://www.youtube.com/user/TheKamikazeYT
could have key steam to play it ?
Well, that's nice. I checked his YouTube page and he did indeed have 64,000+ followers. So I sent him three Steam keys, thanked him for his interest in the game, and told him I'd be happy to answer any questions he had.
Radio silence.
Last week, I received another e-mail. This time, it was from someone explaining that The KamikazeYT was collecting Steam keys from developers to resell them, and he sent me to this page as proof:
SELL BEST PRICE.
Over 350 games for sale, and almost every one developed by a small, independent developer.
Man, that's sad.
Gridiron Solitaire was there, offered for $5. I sent him an e-mail and said he was a sorry individual, and he removed GS from his list this week, but there are still hundreds of other indie developers getting screwed.
These guys are like cockroaches. As soon as the lights go off, they'll scurry out again. So even though he might have to change his selling page or do other things that will at least be minor inconveniences, there's no real way to stop him.
My reaction to this was much different than it would have been when I was in my twenties. My outrage button is reserved for other, more important things. This is not consequential except for the fact that there are hundreds of unwitting developers involved.
Quite a few of you guys are developers, too, so just remember, if you hear from this guy, drop a 40-kiloton e-mail blast on him for both us.
<< Home