Failed to contact key server

[EROCKK92]

I just bought the game and can't get it to play. Every time after I launch the game in Steam I get the message above. Anyone else?

[NNielsen]

Yes, just finished downloading the game and I get the same error.
I have tried the following to no avail:

• Deleting clientregistry.blob
• Verifying the game cache.
• Creating a shortcut and running the game as administrator.
• Running the game as administrator and in various compatibility modes.
• Trying the above on the MassEffect.exe file itself in the \Steam\SteamApps\common\mass effect\Binaries folder.

I haven't yet tried downloading the whole thing again and I'm not about to either, since I'm only getting speeds of measly 3-600 kbps.
For now I'm just going to give it time and see if it's a server problem on Valve's end.

[MaynardLD50]

Yes, just finished downloading the game and I get the same error.
I have tried the following to no avail:

• Deleting clientregistry.blob
• Verifying the game cache.
• Creating a shortcut and running the game as administrator.
• Running the game as administrator and in various compatibility modes.
• Trying the above on the MassEffect.exe file itself in the \Steam\SteamApps\common\mass effect\Binaries folder.

I haven't yet tried downloading the whole thing again and I'm not about to either, since I'm only getting speeds of measly 3-600 kbps.
For now I'm just going to give it time and see if it's a server problem on Valve's end.
Ditto to everything plus I reconfigured my router.

What the heck man! I'm dying to play this game!

[Maklov09]

Ditto to everything plus I reconfigured my router.

What the heck man! I'm dying to play this game!

Double Ditto! I tried directly hooking up my modem to my computer and that didn't help so it's definitely not the router.

[NNielsen]

Try now, it's working for me. Did nothing but wait it out. I'm pretty sure it was just a server load problem.

[MaynardLD50]

I deleted mine, and i'm redownloading now. Hopefully it effing works after 20 gigs downloaded today.

[NNielsen]

Just read this on the store page:
Oops, this is embarrassing. Due to high demand we have temporarily run out of unique keys for this title. You may, by all means, purchase at the awesome sale price but may not be able to play until we receive more unique product keys. It shouldn't take too long, we have sent armed guards to the publisher's house to get them out of bed, drive them to their secret lair and produce more keys.
So yeah, it was a key server load problem just as I suspected.

[UrbsTheWord]

Just read this on the store page:

So yeah, it was a key server load problem just as I suspected.

How does something like this even happen? Didn't they expect thousands of people were going to want to play this game?

[Sharuko]

How does something like this even happen? Didn't they expect thousands of people were going to want to play this game?

They are refering to ME1. Steam sold out when they were selling ME1 for 5 bucks.

[UrbsTheWord]

They are refering to ME1. Steam sold out when they were selling ME1 for 5 bucks.

It was happening for ME2 as well. Only lasts about 5 minutes though before you get a CD key.

[frij]

Happening to me as well in ME2. Acts like it doesn't even try to do anything, just fails immediately.

[FrontlinerDelta]

Just finished downloading and getting this message too. Coincidentally I also lost friends server connection, so Im hoping its just that.

[ManChild84]

yeah same thing happening to me. I'm begining to wonder if buying games on Steam is the way I want to go in the future. If I had bought the game at retail I could be playing it by now.

[Edix540]

same here

/10characters

Edit: Just started working again.

[frij]

No friends list here either. I'm wondering if that's a coincident. I also see a "Register this game" button. It takes me to EA.com, but their site is dead after I login. Wonder if we have to register over there.

Edit: Game just came up without me doing anything. Friend's list too. Guess they were related.

[dingussquatford]

This problem occurs when steam has a sale and runs out of keys. Steam unethically continues to take people's money when they do not have the product they are selling. I encountered this problem last week when I purchased the DLC packs for the game borderlands. I have owned borderlands for months and decided it was time to pick up the DLC during the sale. After paying, I tried to play my borderlands game. Every time I tried I received the error "failed to contact key server". Purchasing the expansion packs had locked me out of the game entirely. No main game, No DLC. I submitted support requests with no response. Finally after 48 hours steam acquired more keys and they game worked again. I am still waiting for a response from steam because this 'key server' problem happens every time they run a sale on a product that includes the "SecureROM" DRM software.

If you don't know what DRM is, it is a software technology that blocks legitimate paying customers from using the products that they spent their hard earned money for. Pirates and Thieves bypass this technology in seconds.