I think on one hand, buying a game for $17 under retail on launch day should raise red flags for consumers, and you should know you're obviously getting into a weird gray area for what might happen, and whether you're getting a legitimate key or getting screwed over.
On the other hand, a discount is a discount, and many people are simply unwilling to buy from traditional retailers if there's the slightest chance they can get games cheaper.
It'...
Any chance you purchased Black Ops III from them? I've been looking to chat with folks who had issues with their product keys, from GMG. Apparently many folks either didn't get Nuketown when promised or got a broken key altogether.
That's just the thing at issue here: because they claim to be unable to release any information about their product sourcing, due to contracts under NDA, we may never know how they're getting keys for customers. That means that in theory, some could be coming from either pirated, illegal or otherwise profit-hindering sources that damage publishers'/developers' ; overall revenue.
That's the implication of being able to sell games so cheap right at launch, an...
If the keys are improperly sourced, the frustration would more likely be that the developer is getting less money, or they're being sourced in a way that means the developer/publisher gets no money at all.
I don't disagree.
It does certainly raise the questions. GMG promises the keys are from legitimate sources, but that has repeatedly come under question.