Main Actors

G2A

G2A is a digital products marketplace for gamers and geeks. The platform offers utility software, gift card shopping, and streaming services. With over 20 million customers and a 100 million sold products milestone, the platform is one of the popular marketplaces for game products. However, security and questionable ethics from vendors are major disadvantages of using G2A. The marketplace is infamous for its loot system, which deceives users to purchase points to unlock game items but never get what they want [12].

The platform has been named in numerous scandals; one such is Riot Games banning G2A from sponsoring teams during the 2015 League of Legends World Championship when G2A breached Riot’s terms of service. In addition, gearbox ended its partnership with G2A to sell collector’s editions of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition when Gearbox released a list of ultimatums curated with Bain for G2A to accept, which was not attended to. The injunction was about G2A Shield, an open API for game developers, and G2A's payment system [13].

There was also a product key fraud scandal in which Unknown Worlds Entertainment accused G2A of using Google and other search engine advertisement to promote sales through other channels rather than the G2A platform. In addition, the brand accused G2A of encouraging users to illegally download their games rather than purchase on G2A and also asserted $30,000 chargebacks related to bad keys through G2A. Although G2A defended its brand, these scandals could not go under the radar, highlighting the need for a reliable marketplace [13].

Eneba

Founded in 2018, Eneba is another video game marketplace where 26 million gaming enthusiasts buy and sell digital gaming products. Unfortunately, Eneba’s machine learning and fingerprint technology security is vulnerable, and many shady vendors operate on the platform. The platform imposes a service fee on buyers depending on the purchase value of the shopping cart and the payment method used. Other downsides of using the platform include the absence of a seller's comment feedback system, operational fees even when you use their Eneba wallet, and no direct contact with sellers [14].

Kinguin

Kinguin was established in 2013 as a digital trading platform with over 14 million registered users, and offers over 95,000 unique digital products – NFTs, computer software, and video games. The platform supports the e-sports industry, and is one of the large-scale esports tournament organizations and event sponsors. However, Ubisoft revoked the game keys many Uplay members bought on Kinguin. The reason for that revocation, as Ubisoft said in a statement to IGN, was that those keys were sourced with stolen credit cards on Electronic Arts' Origin service [15]. Additionally, a costly buyer’s protection program or opting out of it could increase your fee to purchase a game or leave you at risk of scams [16].

Gamivo

Gamivo offers games, digital goods, and hardware for games. Established in 2017, the platform is where customers and suppliers meet for game deals. The brand focuses on UX and UI with a dedicated API that promotes scalable business deals. However, the platform only allows digital products; privacy concerns and paid customer protection programs are limitations of the platform. In addition, Gamivo extorts customers through its purchasing page, which already selected a subscription to Gamivo SMART. If this goes unnoticed and unchecked, buyers will pay for it [17]. Other platform limitations include fraud false positives due to overly sensitive fraud detection parameters, payment gateway fees, and fraudulently obtained products.

Last updated