Definitely contact support. Generally that particular message means that the serial you're using has already been registered (the second sentence is a note referring to those who bought the game direct from us, which is a common cause of this if you used a different address in the store than you use on the forums).

As you got the game from retail, and from a store that opens boxes in particular, I fear someone may have taken the box off the shelf and just copied the key down without buying the game. Depending on the actual situation, support may be able to help, though if you need to get a new serial they will likely need some proof of original purchase.

And that would be?


It is always helpful for future forum users to know how one solved their issues you know.


the Monk

You can contact [email protected] about it, but most likely the seller was simply lying.

I've got the same problem.

Bought the game from my local EB store and entered the serial number exactly as printed on the back of the 'Training Manual'. I get the same The serial number you have entered does not belong to the email address you have entered. To register this serial number you must use the same email address in which you used to purchase the game. message.

I get the message:
Wrong version of ironclad online detected.

This is when registering through the game. when i register through the site i get:

Sign Up Error - Invalid Serial Number
The serial number you have entered is invalid. Please check to make sure you have entered the serial number correctly. If you are unable to register your serial number you can clear the field and continue with the creation of your Stardock.net account and then contact [email protected] for further assistance.

If you contact support all you get is an e-mail that basically says "Thanks for the e-mail! Visit our forums for further assistance." That doesn't help very much, now does it?

This is the reponse I got from Stardock:

My apologies but that is not the account or name that the account is listed to.

If this is your first time registering Sins of a Solar Empire, you have purchased a used copy.
Please be aware that per our end user license agreement, licenses cannot be transferred once sold.

That said, there are some options.

1. The Sins CD's do not have any copy protection. You may
install and play the retail version of the game.

2. The up to the 1.3 update you can get through installing and hitting the update button on the game.
After that the updates include content and registration is required.

3. You may purchase a new license key from Stardock at a $20
discount from the MSRP:

To which I responded:
When I first installed the game, I clicked on the Update Serial Number button and entered my serial number, assuming that is all that is necessary. But to be told that I have to buy a new serial number is UNACCEPTABLE!

A reputable retailer like Electronic Boutique would not sell a used copy of a game as new. Why should I pay for a new serial number if I bought a new game? Clearly you have a problem with your system that issue serial numbers. From the forums it is obvious that I'm not the only one that experienced this!

I refuse to fork out $20 dollars to pay for something I'm already entitled to.

This is my opinion only. If that is what Stardock's attitude is towards the matter, I will not purchase any future games they release and I will download updates to this game from other sites. As a consumer, I have the right to receive the product I paid for.

It's also possible that the store clerks did not remove the serial from the box (as they're supposed to by policy there, AFAIK) when they opened it and left it on the shelf, and someone waltzed in and copied it down. Either way, whenever you buy from such stores, you should insist on a factory sealed copy.

A number of retailers have also been known to reseal returns and resell them as new.

If either is the case, the retailer is at fault, and they should be able to exchange your copy for another (sealed) one which does have an unused serial.

Just because it never happened before doesn't mean it never happens. Why would Stardock be responsible for something they have no control over? They don't have any say over how EB sells games and how they treat serial numbers, why would they essentially give you a second copy of the game for free (that's what a serial # does for Sins) for something EB screwed up?



And if you actually read those forum posts, most of them are "I bought the game from ebay and the guy said it wasn't used before"

I cannot help but wonder how many other people out there have copies they are unable to register and therefor update.

I have just gone through the EULA with a fine tooth comb. Clearly this is like most commercial software out there - I may own a copy of the software, but is given the "privilege" of actually getting full use out of it by being provided with a serial number, which may, at any point, be canceled by the vendor.

I've been in the software industry for 10 years and know this to be standard practice of commercial software. But non-commercial software? I think not. I shall be returning it to EB on the weekend, simply stating that I request a refund due to the fact that I am unable to register this software (note 'software', not 'game') and therefor unable to have full use of it.

I commend the vendor on a well-designed piece of software. It certainly kept me interested and would have liked to continue using it.

Try asking for a replacement, telling them the serial code was already in use.

Have you ever read the EULAs of some of what is on your computer?
I'd probably be lucky if some obscure one somewhere hadn't meant signing over all my life savings.

Again, just because it hasn't happened to you before, doesn't mean it hasn't happened.