Especially with digital distribution, some regions of the world receive different pricing for the same content based on what their target market is capable of paying for it. On Steam, most regions are just about equivalent to their exchange rate with the US dollar. There are a few, most notably Russia, that receive steep price cuts (because the increase in expected customers outweighs the decrease per unit).
This leads some thrifty people to purchase keys that were intended for other, lower-cost regions. Recently, Valve has adjusted the Steam back-end to block gifting from certain, reduced-price regions to other regions. It does not affect existing purchases, only new ones. This also might not be their final decision, as Valve claims that they are still “assessing the market”, according to PC Gamer. This currently applies to: Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, and Singapore.
I am quite… conflicted on this decision.
On the one hand, I believe that moving a game from one region to another should be acceptable. Unless Steam requires that users (or gift givers of unactivated keys) declare that the license is intended for members of a given region, which could be fraud to lie about, then I cannot see any reasonable way to prevent this. On the other hand, I find Valve's method to be fair and targeted, even though it is relying upon DRM to restrict user access.
What do you think? Tell us in the comments! (Registration is not required)
So will this affect those
So will this affect those that use a VPN hosted by one of those countries? Will I then need to be connected to my VPN to login and play those games?
I have no idea.
I have no idea.
Who cares? They can shove
Who cares? They can shove their gifts up their tight pockets. Those degenerate stupid games ain’t worth a buck!
Games pricing is a con in the
Games pricing is a con in the UK, so it just makes sense to try and save a bit by buying from elsewhere. This won’t make me pay the crazy prices for new games but it does mean I’ll be waiting longer to play newer titles.
I feel your pain living in
I feel your pain living in Australia. Not only do we have to put up with a markup on the US price due to our location, but also have to put up with all pricing done in US dollars. It was not so bad when the exchange rate was at parity but now it has slipped, the pricing is getting ridiculous on the higher priced games.
Same price for everyone or at the very least, local currency without the massive markups.
Or they could get rid of
Or they could get rid of region blocking entirely. The same low price for everyone. We’re in a global market, and ignoring that, or trying to make it not global will only hurt them in the long run. The only problem is for games that are censored in places like Australia because of governmental influence. In those cases, the region blocking is a result of shitty legislation. If everyone knew that the games were cheaper in Russia, then maybe we will see an increase in Russian based VPNs and payment methods.
well, i live at one of the
well, i live at one of the the country mentioned above, and i’m fine with this, and i think it’s fair, since it’s only limit the gift from lower-cost regions. it’s not like we all use the same currency with the same value where we live.
Your talking less than half
Your talking less than half the price games.
Its a way I used to buy a few games. (Just a few.)
Like its steam sale all the time.
Like the way EA does it they just have a Russian only version (Which can be by passed but its a pain in the ass and not worth the effort.)
I will just get less games and instead of getting something some game retailers will get nothing.
Another win for PIRATES.
I’ve just been affected by
I’ve just been affected by this. I live in brazil, and 90% of my steam friends are in the US. I recently got a game as a xmas gift by a friend (in the us). I can’t use the game, nor can he use the other game I bought him.
Thanks steam.
“On Steam, most regions are
“On Steam, most regions are just about equivalent to their exchange rate with the US dollar.”
That is false. For countries in Europe (especially UK), Steam charges almost always the highest prices in the world. And it’s not fairness at work here as prices are always cheaper in the US, which is not what I would consider a market that can not pay the same prices as Europe.
If you don’t know of steamdb dot info, have a look there. They keep for each game a record of the prices across some world regions. The differences between them can be large and nowhere close to “equivalent”.
For something like “Transistor” the price converted to the same currency ranges in between 13 EUR in the UK, to 4 EUR in Russia. Or perhaps “Deus Ex: Human Revolution”, which costs 14 EUR in Japan, 10 EUR in most of Europe, 8 EUR in the US, and 2.8 EUR in Russia.
I see no issue with charging less in countries where the full price is great relative to one’s buying power, but since when is the US so poor they have to be charged less?
true region blocking should
true region blocking should be geographic not political like the Commonwealth of Independent states, however in that mix of Russia, CIS and others why was China not listed? unless Steam is not allowed in to China (sorry i never checked)
Valve doesn’t understand how
Valve doesn’t understand how money works. This is like those idiots in eve online who whine about the price difference of ones or subscriptions in different regions and think it is unfair.
Steam, you suck big time for
Steam, you suck big time for region locking! All the more reason to get it from Bit Torrent.