The Witcher 3 studio alleges Green Man Gaming pre-order keys are unauthorized [Update]

Update: Green Man Gaming issued the following statement to Shacknews:

Green Man Gaming (GMG) has an official contract with, and has been an approved retailer of CD Projekt S.A. (CDPR) products since 11th August 2011. Following a 6 month dialogue with CDPR about the launch of The Witcher 3, we were disappointed that despite the offer of significant cash advances, and other opportunities to officially work together, (we even offered to fly to Poland to discuss in detail how we could and wanted to support this launch), CDPR chose not to engage with a number of significant, reputable, and successful retailers, including ourselves, as they instead focused on supporting their own platform GOG.

We at GMG sincerely believe in getting games to gamers, and offering them a range of buying options to suit their preferences is critically important to this industry; we often go above corporate profits and commercial gain to make this happen. We, like millions of customers, are huge fans of The Witcher series, and have been eager for the launch of this amazing title. We believe that CDPR’s desire to support their own platform by working with retail outlets that would not conflict with their own is greater than that of meeting the demands of their audience, therefore we made the decision to indirectly secure the product and deliver it to our customers. To do this, we reached out to third parties and retailers that were approved by CDPR, to legitimately pass these keys onto our customers. This means that at some point, revenue has been passed directly onto CDPR, and any additional discount on the title is absorbed by us, as we want as many people enjoying The Witcher 3 as possible.

We would heartily welcome a renewed dialogue with CDPR, and are keen to continue to not only support the launch of The Witcher 3, but to keep celebrating and bringing the whole catalogue of CDPR titles to a worldwide audience, as we have done since 2011.

What the statement boils down to is that GMG is purchasing their Witcher 3 keys indirectly from other retailers that were authorized by CD Projekt RED. This means GMG is selling these keys at either zero profit or (in the case of the pre-order discount) at a loss.

Shacknews has contacted all parties involved. Representatives from CD Projekt RED and GOG.com have both indicated earlier in the day that their own statement is forthcoming.

Original story: If a deal sounds too good to be true, chances are that it is. Yesterday, one of our Chatty posters found an amazing deal from Green Man Gaming that's offering The Witcher 3 for a staggering $38.99. For a pre-order deal, that falls under the "too good to be true" category.

The problem is, CD Projekt RED doesn't know where these codes are coming from.

Earlier today, a CD Projekt RED representative indicated to GameSpot that any keys Green Man Gaming is offering are coming from an "unknown source." What this means is that since these keys are essentially unauthorized, none of the revenue from these sales will go towards the developer.

CD Projekt RED has previously been in collaboration with the folks at GOG.com since 2011, with both parties collaborating on marketing efforts that included a joint press conference. The Witcher 3 will also be one of the first mainstream releases to release on the new GOG Galaxy client, currently in beta.

Shacknews has reached out to representatives for CD Projekt RED, GOG.com, and Green Man Gaming for full statements. This story will be updated as those statements come in.

The Witcher 3 studio alleges Green Man Gaming pre-order keys are unauthorized [Update]