Publisher tinyBuild Revokes Hundreds of ReStory Keys Sourced From Shady Resellers

Publisher tinyBuild has taken swift action following the launch of the repair shop simulation game ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs, which recently achieved strong sales by shifting 300,000 copies during its first week on the market. However, that milestone has been affected by unauthorized key distribution, prompting the publisher to deactivate hundreds of illegitimate game codes.

Alex Nichiporchik, CEO of tinyBuild, announced on social media that the company revoked 649 keys for the game after confirming they were sold on unauthorized reseller websites. Affected players who acquired the title through those channels were directed to seek assistance from the respective marketplace. Nichiporchik also highlighted ongoing industry frustrations with key resellers, noting a historical financial impact from similar incidents and advising consumers to rely on official storefronts like Steam.

According to the publisher, the vulnerability stemmed from regional pricing discrepancies on Steam when localized pricing is not set individually across different territories, allowing scalpers to purchase lower-priced regional copies and flip them on unregulated marketplaces. Nichiporchik noted that the source of the leak has been identified and addressed to prevent future occurrences.

Additionally, the publisher clarified that a small number of legitimate keys purchased through Green Man Gaming were mistakenly caught in the revocation sweep. tinyBuild confirmed that replacement keys are automatically being sent to affected Green Man Gaming customers without requiring any further action on their part.