“Trust me, I’m a game journalist” Japanese dev analyzes the types of Steam Key scammers they’ve encountered

Earlier this month, we took a look at an indie developer who’s short and sweet rebuff to all the people offering him “free exposure” in exchange for Steam keys earned him a virtual standing ovation among gamers and fellow developers alike. Unfortunately, the problem of unwarranted Steam key solicitation is widespread and persistent, and recently, another Japanese indie creator addressed the issue through a humorous yet very informative analysis. 

Eiki, a game developer affiliated with the Japanese indie game studio illuCalab, recently published an article that sheds light on the comically dismal reality faced by basically anyone who has ever published a game on Steam – the flocks of random people begging for free keys. This came right before the Early Access release of illuCalab’s new title Heart of Crown Online, the impending launch of which unfortunately attracted hordes of predatory scammers. 

“I’ll start with the conclusion – do not give out a single key. They will be resold” the developer warns before going into any details, attaching a screenshot of their Steam key beggar-infested inbox. 

From there, Eiki describes three different species of Steam Key beggars and explains why none of them should be humored. The first and most common one is the “I’m a curator” type. These people introduce themselves as relevant curators with XX thousand followers and ask you to send them Steam Keys via e-mail, rather than through Steam’s Curator Connect system, which they claim is “too buggy.” In reality, Curator Connect allows developers to share their games with reviewers without the risk of having it resold. Additionally, Eiki notes, this type of Steam beggar often links you to the page of a curator they have nothing to do with, or more elaborately, a dummy page they have somehow inflated the following of. 

The “I’m a Curator” type aims to exploit the developer’s lack of knowledge about the Curator Connect system. Alternatively, some agree to use the system at first, but then pretend that “it didn’t work” and ask for keys to be sent via e-mail. According to Eiki, there are even cases where the scammer will say they received the game just fine, and then ask for more keys via e-mail “for their friends.” 

Next up, Eiki introduces the “I’m an Influencer” type. These scammers present themselves as content creators with 100k+ followers, linking you, once again, either to real profiles they have nothing to do with or fake ones. Eiki notes that sometimes, these shady profiles actually do contain the occasional Steam game review, but the only comments below them are from obvious bots. In this sense, even on the off chance you were to receive a review, you are not likely to benefit from it in any way. The developer notes that these emails will often include links to multiple platforms, such as Steam, TikTok and Instagram, but that the scammers sometimes can’t even be bothered to paste links to the same creator’s account. 

Last but not least is the “I’m a journalist” Steam key beggar. Eiki notes that this type of scam is the rarest as it requires the most effort, but that some people go to impressive lengths to present themselves as video game journalists belonging to *name of website*. Eiki attaches an image of one of the more elaborate attempts they have encountered. These scammers ask for multiple keys for free while linking their “influential” social media accounts, but the websites they link to are often sparse and do not look the part. 

Eiki advises fellow developers to reach out to creators they want to collaborate with at their own discretion, rather than engage with unsolicited inquiries. 

IlluCalab’s latest title HEART of CROWN Online is currently available in Early Access via Steam.