tinyBuild Revokes Hundreds of Keys for ReStory After Reseller Marketplace Warnings
tinyBuild has revoked hundreds of activation keys for its PC game ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs, warning players not to buy from unauthorized key resellers after it discovered that many codes were being distributed through “suspicious” third-party marketplaces. The move comes after the title reportedly sold strongly at launch, but a portion of keys apparently didn’t end up with customers in the way the publisher intended.
tinyBuild cancels hundreds of ReStory keys
The company’s president, Alex Nichiporchik, announced the situation on X, stating that 649 keys for ReStory were invalidated. He said most of those codes had been sold on sites that re-sell game keys, and that players who purchased through those services but lost access should contact the reseller directly to resolve the issue.
Nichiporchik linked the problem to Steam’s regional pricing. In his account, resellers were buying the game in cheaper territories and then selling the resulting keys on external platforms for profit, which created the conditions for tinyBuild to cancel those activations.
To explain why the company is taking a hard line, Nichiporchik referenced an earlier tinyBuild statement from 2016, when the publisher said it lost 450,000 dollars due to key-selling websites. In that context, he reiterated the straightforward guidance for players: purchase games directly on Steam to avoid the risk of losing access later due to key invalidations.
He also emphasized the rule of thumb that “if the deal looks too good to be true, it probably isn’t,” framing the revocations as a response to practices that undermine legitimate distribution.
Green Man Gaming customers should receive replacements
The key cancellations also affected some customers of Green Man Gaming, which is described here as an authorized seller. Nichiporchik addressed that concern directly, assuring players that those impacted would receive new keys automatically and that they wouldn’t need to take any additional steps.
ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs had been reported to reach 300,000 copies sold in its first week, underscoring how quickly the game moved at launch—before the publisher stepped in to address how certain keys were being traded outside official channels.
