UPDATE 4: Dev officially responds further: http://indiehaven.com/dev-blog-steam-keys-for-corporate-lifestyle-simulator/
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Original OP:
Big thanks to Turfster for bringing this up in the Steam thread.
So during the Greenlight process it's pretty standard fare to promise Steam keys for all those who have previously purchased the game. It's a great way to boost votes and ultimately get your game on Steam.
A game called Zombies. (which is getting a name change to Corporate Lifestyle Simulator for Steam) made that Greenlight promise, as well as a promise in many of the bundles the game was in, that customers would get keys when the game was Greenlit. Here's a list of all the bundles the game was in (thanks topyy):
Well the game was Greenlit, and now the dev is backtracking, saying that he wanted a list of all personal customer data to manually give out keys instead of giving keys to the bundle websites. To his utter surprise, no bundle website wanted to hand out sensitive customer data over, so no Steam keys for them!
To those who don't know, all the above websites listed have a system that issues keys to customers who have bought a Greenlit game. The dev doesn't want to hand over keys because...he doesn't trust them? Or more accurately, he thinks that might translate to lost sales on Steam.
But hey, if that's the case, then he should be able to give keys to those who bought the game directly from his website since he has that personal data/email info, right?
Whoops, I guess not.
You can see an example of a promised key in this Groupees bundle which advertises a free Steam key, which the dev has gone on record to say he's not going to do.
It makes me friggin' angry when devs try to weasel their way out of promises like this. It's a big giant finger to the small fanbase they've managed to build up. Here's hoping he does the right thing and changes his stance on this.
UPDATE: (read from bottom to top)
UPDATE 2: in regards to whether he's telling the truth about not knowing bundles give away keys?
UPDATE 3:
Dev twitter: https://twitter.com/tehbignic
Steamgifts thread: http://www.steamgifts.com/forum/yrH1E/
As might be expected, I’m a little bit leery to say anything about the situation for fear that it will be taken out of context… but here goes.
Mainly I’d like to call attention to the post on Feb 22 on my facebook page, long before any of this blew up.(https://www.facebook.com/thebignic)
“Corporate Lifestyle Simulator” is the expansion pack for “Zombies.” and will be released on Steam, integrated with the original app. “Zombies.” will not be available on its own. Understandably, Steam keys for this product will be unavailable for anyone who previously purchased “Zombies.” If this seriously bothers anyone, lets chat.
That was shortened for twitter because of obvious restrictions. I honestly believed that the decision would impact a handful of people at best. I specifically left that door open for complaints because I didn’t know how it would be taken and wanted to be able to adjust the decision based on feedback. But that key component “If this bothers anyone, lets chat” was left out on twitter and so the reaction was swift and severe. I got about 200 messages on twitter ranging from name-calling to death threats. Someone wished that I would get cancer.
Those vocal people were the ones that I lashed out at and it was my fault for not setting the context correctly so that supporters and fans didn’t think it was directed at them. I apologized, and that apology is sincere.
The fact remains that the three bundles that were called out last night (GreenManGaming, IndieGameStand, and Groupees Build-a-Bundle) very specifically do not mention Steam keys in their contracts. I have read and re-read them, thinking that I must have missed something but that isn’t the case. GreenManGaming was a FREE promotion and keys were never even discussed. IndieGameStand even took to twitter to confirm that the keys were not promised, but the flaming continued.
I quickly reversed my decision and agreed to give keys to people who had purchased the game. The potential of lost sales isn’t worth getting death threats over. I had to reiterate that decision because the original tweet obviously was unprofessional and insulting.
I value the support of my fans and thought I had been pretty vocal about that, but perhaps I haven’t said it enough. I’m not hiding behind any corporate brand – this is my personal identity that I’m working with. It’s a shame that its tarnished because of misunderstanding, but perhaps that’s just the breaks of being a developer.
I wanted to keep people in the loop about my decision, let them know about the name change, and gauge the response so that I could change the game-plan accordingly. This is exactly what happened and in the end, the voices of the people were heard and their demands were met. We could have reached this accord without name-calling, insults, and threats on both sides.
For my part, I am sorry for my conduct and hope that the internet grants me the grace to continue doing what I love to do. There is no developer without users – there is no artist without patrons.
If there’s any potential for you to get this message out, that would be a miracle and I thank you for it. Anything I say about the issue just looks like I’m backpedaling or asking for pity or digging a deeper grave. At the end of the day, everyone who bought the game in a bundle should get a Steam key when they are available.
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Original OP:
Big thanks to Turfster for bringing this up in the Steam thread.
So during the Greenlight process it's pretty standard fare to promise Steam keys for all those who have previously purchased the game. It's a great way to boost votes and ultimately get your game on Steam.
A game called Zombies. (which is getting a name change to Corporate Lifestyle Simulator for Steam) made that Greenlight promise, as well as a promise in many of the bundles the game was in, that customers would get keys when the game was Greenlit. Here's a list of all the bundles the game was in (thanks topyy):
a long list for this game = =
Groupees Build a Bundle 4
IndieFort Countdown Bundle
Indie Gala Weekly 3
Indie Gala Sigma
indiebundle.org Killer Zombie Bundle
IndieGameStand
Well the game was Greenlit, and now the dev is backtracking, saying that he wanted a list of all personal customer data to manually give out keys instead of giving keys to the bundle websites. To his utter surprise, no bundle website wanted to hand out sensitive customer data over, so no Steam keys for them!
To those who don't know, all the above websites listed have a system that issues keys to customers who have bought a Greenlit game. The dev doesn't want to hand over keys because...he doesn't trust them? Or more accurately, he thinks that might translate to lost sales on Steam.
But hey, if that's the case, then he should be able to give keys to those who bought the game directly from his website since he has that personal data/email info, right?
Whoops, I guess not.
You can see an example of a promised key in this Groupees bundle which advertises a free Steam key, which the dev has gone on record to say he's not going to do.
It makes me friggin' angry when devs try to weasel their way out of promises like this. It's a big giant finger to the small fanbase they've managed to build up. Here's hoping he does the right thing and changes his stance on this.
UPDATE: (read from bottom to top)
UPDATE 2: in regards to whether he's telling the truth about not knowing bundles give away keys?
One of the bundle pages has this on it
Another one, in the same bundle doesn't promise a Steam key if Greenlit.
He had a choice, he misled people and now people are questioning it.
UPDATE 3:
Dev twitter: https://twitter.com/tehbignic
Steamgifts thread: http://www.steamgifts.com/forum/yrH1E/