Is this bait? I don't really get ads on the reddit app, but then again I patched it with Revanced manager.

Nonsense, paying doesn't always mean you get to own it. I would understand the excuse more if you let's say bought a game on Steam, but then Steam went away forever and you lost the game and you don't want to pay for it again. But by that time the game would be super cheap anyway... Well, unless it was now unavailable, then piracy is the only solution to actually getting it.