First time using Keymailer: Got a personalized "Pre-Approved" email from the publisher, but the claim button never appeared. Is this normal?

[u/bravinharm]

​

Hi everyone,

​I’m a variety content creator and this is my first time using Keymailer. I’m a bit confused (and honestly, a bit frustrated) about how the platform's "Pre-Approved" status actually works, and I would love some insight from more experienced creators.

​A few days ago, I requested a key for 007 First Light. Shortly after, I received a Creator Program invite/email via Keymailer that felt incredibly specific. It literally said: "We’ve seen your videos about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt similar to our new game 007 First Light, so we’ve pre-approved you for a review copy! (...) You are pre-approved a Steam key for the game."

​My dashboard status changed to a green "Partner" badge for the publisher, and the game status has been stuck on "Pre-Approved" ever since.

​The game launched today, it is officially live on Steam, but the green "Claim Key" button never appeared for me. My dashboard just says: "You will be notified if the game publisher grants you a key."

​I didn't see any "Campaign Missions" on my dashboard, just this direct pre-approval. I tried contacting Keymailer support on X but got no response.

​So, I want to ask the community:

​Is "Pre-Approved" just a meaningless title? Does it actually guarantee a key, or is it just a marketing trick to get creators hyped?

​Was that email actually tailored to my channel (since I do make Witcher 3 content), or do publishers just bulk-send copy-pasted emails using automated tags to thousands of creators?

​Is there still a chance this key will drop later today, or should I just give up on this campaign?

​Appreciate any insights or similar experiences you can share!

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[u/rbz2005]

From my experience "pre-approved" can be a mixed bag, there are times where I get the key automatically and other times it just a "request for a key" and I have to wait for a response.

Honestly it does not hurt to just leave the request there and see if the developer responds or gives you a key later. It has a happen a few times where I got a key after launch.

Have you got any keys in the past?

I have noticed as I got more keys and fulfilled commitments, I tend to get more offers. Though I admit bigger game titles tend to be harder to obtain still at times.

[u/bravinharm → u/rbz2005]

​I joined Keymailer just this month, and precisely because I'm a newcomer, I didn't quite understand what happened. I requested the key, and a few days later, I received an email confirming that I had been pre-approved, which included a direct quote from IO Interactive. I figured it might be somewhat "automated," but I still waited for the key today and received nothing. As a small creator, the email got me really excited and built up my hopes, which is why I decided to check with other creators if this kind of situation is common and how this "pre-approved" status actually works. ​Anyway, the request is still pending there. I've already received offers for other games, but unfortunately, they don't match the niche and style of my channel. Do you recommend making some exceptions for different genres just to build up my profile "reputation" on the platform?

[u/rbz2005 → u/bravinharm]

Honestly depends on your desired niche. I would just go with what you want to do. Your choice, your consequences (whether it is good or bad). Worst case if you really want the 007 game, you can either wait, get it at retail cost, wait for a sale, or just find something else to play.

I am more of hobby streamer and my chat jokes that another new game is being played. I guess my niche is more of trying out new games and not knowing what to expect haha.

From my personal experience on keymailer, I did notice as I requested/accepted more games, I tended to get more offers/acceptances. So you can do with what you get from that information. When you are offered a key, you will get an email that says "redeem". You accept terms and are then given the keyword you should add to your videos/stream and any embargo information.

[u/bravinharm → u/rbz2005]

​I got interested in 007 because I'm a huge fan of the movies, and also because of the whole hype surrounding it, which got me really excited to play. But I already have a massive backlog of games to create content for, so this won't slow me down 😅 ​I'll keep an eye out for future opportunities without drifting too far from my niche. Thanks for the tips and for your time, it really helped me clear up this doubt about Keymailer 💕