The original charges centered around activation keys. The commission said Valve and five publishers (Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax) agreed to use geo-blocking so that activation keys sold in some countries — like Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Latvia — would not work in other member states. That would prevent someone in, say, Germany buying a cheaper key in Latvia, where prices are lower.
Valve said that the charges didn’t pertain to PC games sold on Steam, but that it was accused of locking keys to particular territories at the request of publishers
It’s not like Valve played no role in this.
Games can be sold on other places besides the Steam store. This still negatively impacts consumers.
The geoblocking is in place to prevent people from buying keys in one (cheap) region and activating them in another (more expensive) one. It’s about both, you dolt.
The EU has very clear law on digital ownership. It’s the same reason if you buy a PC with Windows installed in the EU, you have the right to take that Windows install and put it on another PC, regardless of if it’s OEM or not. This hasn’t prevented Microsoft from doing regional pricing for Windows and if this affects Steam’s pricing that’s on Valve.
Had you cared to even read the one-line summary, you’d know it’s not about different prices within Steam but about activation keys.
Had you cared to read the fucking article.
I did and unlike you I even understood it.
ACTIVATION KEYS from key retailers. It’s not about prices within the Steam storefront.
It’s not like Valve played no role in this.
Games can be sold on other places besides the Steam store. This still negatively impacts consumers.
I never claimed otherwise.
Some consumers maybe. It will benefit others.
Temporarily. But then Valve might just set prices the same everywhere in the EU and also restrict keys sold by other retailers.
I can order any goods via mail from across the border, like a BluRay of a PS5 game.
I don’t see what that has to do with Steam, digital goods are regulated differently than physical goods.
But this is still about activation keys which are frequently printed out, put in a plastic case, and then sent to retail markets.
Which will unavoidably inflate the prices of said keys in said poorer countries. The article mentions this explicitly.
Steam prices are already the same. Steam games aren’t cheaper in Estonia at least.
Because they stopped doing it years ago to avoid the EU going after them.
The geoblocking is in place to prevent people from buying keys in one (cheap) region and activating them in another (more expensive) one. It’s about both, you dolt.
The EU has very clear law on digital ownership. It’s the same reason if you buy a PC with Windows installed in the EU, you have the right to take that Windows install and put it on another PC, regardless of if it’s OEM or not. This hasn’t prevented Microsoft from doing regional pricing for Windows and if this affects Steam’s pricing that’s on Valve.