Eurogamer has word that game-key e-tailer G2A is implementing some new programs to counteract all the heat they get for their business practices, as they are frequently accused of standing between developers/publishers and their royalties by serving a grey market (they most recently had a public fight with tinyBuild. There's no mention of this on the G2A website but the company mailed Eurogamer with some details, saying they will start testing things in a couple of weeks and roll everything out by the end of next month:

"As a leader in the digital gaming marketplace, we recognise our responsibility to serve the greater good for the entire gaming industry," a G2A rep told Eurogamer in an email.

"Recent events have demonstrated that we need to move faster to introduce new benefits designed with developers in mind, and invite them to play an even bigger role in creating the marketplace of the future."

So, developers may now apply a royalty of up to 10 per cent for any of their products sold on the G2A marketplace. This, G2A said, provides a way for developers to monetise third-party transactions.

Assuming this works as described, the royalty system could be huge for video game developers who for some time now have seen thousands of copies of their games sell for peanuts on G2A.

G2A users have long been accused of using a database of stolen credit cards to buy game keys in bulk from a bundle or third-party key reseller, then putting them up on G2A to sell them at half the retail price.

To combat this, G2A announced plans to give developers access to its database to verify sales, volume and timing to track the lifecycle of every key and help identify illegal practices.

G2A is also adding a developer funding option, which lets customers contribute funds directly through an additional button on the developer's product page.

G2A, then, is making all the right noises in its bid to improve its reputation among the development community. But the very real problem of fraudulent activity remains, and it's one publishers and developers are keen to see G2A tackle head-on.

"We want to reassure the development community that we monitor our marketplace extensively for any possible fraudulent activity," G2A said.

"In the small fraction of cases where fraud may be detected, we investigate and ban offending parties from further participation. We work with law enforcement globally to track fraud and we are committed to ensuring that the marketplace remains safe. Dozens of payment providers work with us globally because they have total confidence in our security process."