Independent developer Dicehit Games has taken a blunt stance against unofficial key reselling websites, advising PC players to pirate their roguelike Runeveil rather than purchase discounted copies from unauthorized third-party retailers.
The statement came in response to a social media post recommending key reselling websites to purchase video games at a lower cost. Dicehit explained that these unauthorized platforms often traffic in promotional keys originally distributed for free to content creators, media outlets, and reviewers.
"For those who do not know, sites like this sell the codes we sent out for free to get content on our game," Dicehit wrote on X on August 10, 2026. "We do not get content and our good will is abused this way."
Concluding the response, the studio stated: "If any of our games are too expensive for you and you are going to use a code site, just pirate it."
Dicehit Games is not the first studio to issue unconventional advice regarding piracy and alternative acquisition methods. Other developers, including the team behind Peak and the creators of Rollerdrome, have previously directed players toward piracy rather than supporting microtransaction-heavy knockoffs or purchasing titles after original development teams had departed.