Steams pricing to go regional

Azza

It seems Steam is currently in a beta for a new regional pricing system they are planning to introduce so you can see your games prices in euro's or if you live in the UK in pounds.

Rock Paper Shotgun has the details here and how you can log in via web browser rather than the Steam application which still offers prices in dollars.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/12/12/steam-goes-european-prices-go-crazy/#more-6153

This seems particular for people in England to cause rather irratic pricing with some games going at vastly cheaper prices than the American prices. For example the Civ 3 compete pack is £19.00 cheaper.

However in Euroland surprise surpise we seem to be getting ripped off. Nearly ever game I checked (with the exception of Bioshock which was dramatically cheaper in Euro pricing than the Ameircan price) has just had the $ sign replaced with € sign meaning instead of paying $49.99 (€37.44 before sales tax) for say GTA IV we be paying €49.99 which translates $66.71. Granted the American version has sales tax to be added but It would still would not come out anywhere near as expensive as the new European price. I will point out the game only costs €35.00 in stores here and we get discs, box and manauls for a cheaper price. The whole point of digital distrubition was to lower the cost of games but as far as I'm aware 90% of titles on steam are more expensive than retail versions as it is even before this new system was introduced, even Valves own games are dearer on Steam. Granted this is in beta and they might start changing the regional prices but if this is actually the case when it goes fully live I think I will simply boycott steam and stick to online retailers like play.com etc and perhaps other digital distrubitors that actually have lower prices.

Its also been often speculated the reason that Atari and Ubisoft have never released there games (with the possible exception of Far Cry 2) to a European audience on steam is that they don't want to undercut their retail sales prices here. They have actually never even commented on the situation. If they finally show up on Steam after this system is fully introduced I think I will also consider boycotting those 2 developers/publishers myself.

Overheal

Give them some time to iron it out. Steam have been generally good in the past about matching retail prices.

Krieg

I have always found steam pricing to be quite reasonable, so i wont be boycotting. Just quietly upset that I am technically being ripped off and still buy, meh.

This regional pricing actually got me thinking. If I were to email a friend in the states my steam login and got him to buy the games over there which would naturally be cheaper, would it work?
It wouldn't be the most logistical solution since you would need to sending him money afterwards and perhaps a little extra which would negate the whole thing in the first place. But maybe if you were on holiday..

dreamers75

Overheal wrote: »

Give them some time to iron it out. Steam have been generally good in the past about matching retail prices.

Cheaper to buy left for dead for pc in a shop then it is on Steam.

Steams pricing is a joke considering they getting 100% of the sale rather than the 40% they normally get from bricks and mortar sales, if they saving money it should be reflected in the price.

Azza

Krieg I don't think your solution would work as I know that steam lock games out by region. Buyers of The Orange Box who purchased there games on the cheap in Asia found themsleves locked out of them when they tried to run them in Europe or America.

Blazer

Their price for Left4Dead was disgracefull.
€48 on steam..€32 on play.com.

dreamers75

Mathew Reilly wrote: »

Their price for Left4Dead was disgracefull.
€48 on steam..€32 on play.com.

€30 in game in liffey valley assume all others the same.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

dreamers75 wrote: »

Cheaper to buy left for dead for pc in a shop then it is on Steam.

Steams pricing is a joke considering they getting 100% of the sale rather than the 40% they normally get from bricks and mortar sales, if they saving money it should be reflected in the price.

Since when was steam a "not for profit" organisation? They are all about the business.

Exchanging the euro sign for the dollar sign is not good, and very little thought was put into it.

ProjectColossus

I usually have a lot of faith in Steam, but I was more than a little shocked to see the euro sign simply replace the dollar sign when I spotted this yesterday...

I trust it will get sorted out in due course, it is beta after all.

Incidently, where can you get GTA4 for 35? Is it only online?

Azza

Its €35 in Game both myself and a mate both our copies there.

Overheal

ProjectColossus wrote: »

I usually have a lot of faith in Steam, but I was more than a little shocked to see the euro sign simply replace the dollar sign when I spotted this yesterday...

I trust it will get sorted out in due course, it is beta after all.

Incidently, where can you get GTA4 for 35? Is it only online?

Right, which means you can still buy in dollars. So its no panic. Check the Steam Forum and I'll sure youll find someone has mentioned the error by now.

Slutmonkey57b

You're assuming it's an error and not policy. Given the way tech companies in particular are notorious for ripping off the Eurozone and Uk customers (Apple and Adobe being prime suspects) I doubt it's anything other than intentional.

Sierra Oscar

The current beta is a rip off, I have to admit.

Show your feedback here!

The UK'ers have their own pricing now, and many games are cheaper. Those of us using the Euro are ending up paying nearly 10% more on most transactions.

Prices are falling in retail stores, but we have yet to see it with Steam unfortunately.

Overheal wrote: »

Right, which means you can still buy in dollars. So its no panic. Check the Steam Forum and I'll sure youll find someone has mentioned the error by now.

Valve are well aware of the current pricing.;)

Sierra Oscar

Actually I was thinking, is it even legal for Valve to offer different prices for the UK'ers and then restrict the rest of us Europeans from purchasing at those prices. I thought EU law prohibited this? Didn't Apple get in trouble over this?

ProjectColossus

This has gone live, and it seems the scaremongering was bang on the money. GTA4 for example is listed at €49.99 (previously $49.99) with no option to pay in dollars instead.

What are they thinking? I won't be using Steam for any non valve products (which used to be so convenient), and will have to very seriously consider any valve purchases in future.

Shiminay

I noticed this too when I went to get L4D - was working out around €60 via Steam and cost me €40 in the shop. Disgrace tbh. Won't be buying anything from them for a long time.

Cuddlesworth

I have always been a big fan of steam, my steam games directory is well over 120 gigs. But I don't believe in their their obvious hike in prices to Euro customers since the cost of the game to them is the exact same no matter the location.

brianon

I am in shock. I have bought quite a few games from steam. I thought the 1$=1€ was just a beta thing. They cannot seriously think people will continue to buy games at unjustifiably inflated prices ... especially these days !

Mantel

Remember when this sort of stuff was supposed to be cheaper bacause there where no sales people, box, manuals or media to make....

Cuddlesworth

brianon wrote: »

I am in shock. I have bought quite a few games from steam. I thought the 1$=1€ was just a beta thing. They cannot seriously think people will continue to buy games at unjustifiably inflated prices ... especially these days !

They do and people will. If they didn't believe it, they would not have done it.

It's pretty funny of you think about it, in the one company that has a pretty secure drm system and constant sales of older games they still feel the need to rip off the people who buy their stuff. I think I'll look into pirating their games from now on.

brianon

But will people really pay that much for games on steam ? when you could buy online for the cheaper £ price. There is a massive thread on the steam forums about it.

super_furry

So is there point to Steam now?

brianon

Of course. We need it for electricity production.

Sierra Oscar

Sucks that it went live with 1$=1€.

Feedback can be given here!

Voodu Child

Plenty of games are cheaper and do not have the $1=€1 conversion that the beta had. You need to look at it game by game, some are cheaper, some are the same, and some unforunately are more expensive.

Some mentioned Left4Dead being €60+ under the beta or maybe the $ pricing. Check the site, its €45 now.

Tar.Aldarion

Won't buy off them if the price is not good, simple as. Up to them what they want to do.

Overheal

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Sucks that it went live with 1$=1€.

Feedback can be given here!

Done and Done.

Dont forget level an EECB at valve while youre at it. couldnt hurt.

try mike@valvesoftware.com and gabe@valvesoftware.com

The rest of the Valve Team: http://www.valvesoftware.com/people.html

Just carpet bomb any of their potential corporate email addresses. Im almost certain gabe@valvesoftware.com is genuine, more than likely they go by their first names.

wayne040576

Mantel wrote: »

Remember when this sort of stuff was supposed to be cheaper bacause there where no sales people, box, manuals or media to make....

They just use do that to cut costs on their end and maximise the profits.

cherryghost

thanks to the new scheme, all flatout games are now a tenner each (including UC), GRID is 30 quid, bioshock is 20 quid. But yeah, some are higher priced.

Overheal

was in gamestop today looking at the sickly pc rack and wondering why they bother. i wonder if its not a case of collusion - its almost like protectionism for the retail pc games market.

Davidius

I was almost going to get a Christmas present through Steam.

Looks like my business is going elsewhere. Down with $=€-ism.