Why CDKeys Is Changing Its Name to Loaded
CDKeys, an enormously recognized online store for discounted game keys for over a decade, announced that it would start operating under the brand name Loaded as from September. This decision has left many of its loyal customers confused and filled with skepticism owing to the brand's decades-old association with the selling of cheap Steam games.
The Official Reason for the Change
In a blog post from the company, the name change is viewed as a way to modernize the brand. The store claims the term "CDs" is an outdated medium. They state the new name, "Loaded," is meant to better represent their enlarged inventory, now including digital keys for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo titles in addition to PC games.
Customer Dissatisfaction and Brand Recognition Concerns
The response from gamers has, however, not been entirely positive. On Reddit and other numerous gaming forums, it has been termed "awful" and "dumb" to name a few. Customers argue that the company is forfeiting significant brand recognition accumulated for more than 10 years.
Many have doubted the real reason, noting that Valve's Steam was already the biggest digital marketplace when CDKeys was launched in 2013. The name has always been associated with digital keys, not physical CDs at any point, making the "outdated medium" argument almost weak.
Gamers Speculate on the Real Motives
The customer base suspects there are some underlying reasons driving the change. While CDKeys maintains a solid 4.8/5 rating on Trustpilot, it sort of operates in a gray area in purchasing game keys in bulk from regions with lower prices, an act disliked by the publishers. Following are some theories circulated in the community regarding the actual reason for the rebrand:
- Attracting Sponsorships: The name Loaded may sound much cleaner and appealing to a potential partner rather skeptical about associating with the name CDKeys and its gray market image.
- Evading content filters: The name CDKeys gets auto-blocked by the filters on certain online forums and chat rooms. Therefore, a new name is sure to bypass such restrictions.
- Pointing at Bigger Changes: Some users speculate that the name change is merely a first step, with even bigger alterations regarding the site's business model or features hanging in the horizon.
In the end, while the company makes the rebranding out to appear as a harmless modernization, its customers suspect the move was pointedly made out of strategic business considerations.
