PETITION: Steam regional pricing for non-EU balkan countries
North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro.

Average pay is 400-700 euroes per month, yet games are more expensive than Norway's 4000 euroes per month, or Taiwan's 1700 euroes average pay, or Turkey's average of 700 euroes per month

It doesn't make any sense, what's the hold up?
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Showing 1-15 of 16 comments
pckirk 29 Jun @ 5:16am 
talk to the games publisher / developer. This steam sub-forum, is suggestions and ideas for the UI on the steam client, app, and website.. Has nothing to do with marketplace, games, prices etc....
You're asking me to write to millions of developers individually or ?

This regional pricing has been obviously categorized by Steam and devs follow it
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:
You're asking me to write to millions of developers individually or ?

This regional pricing has been obviously categorized by Steam and devs follow it
Yes. they are free to deviate from the suggestions, quite some developers and publishers do so in fact.

It's up to them.
Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:
You're asking me to write to millions of developers individually or ?

This regional pricing has been obviously categorized by Steam and devs follow it
Yes. they are free to deviate from the suggestions, quite some developers and publishers do so in fact.

It's up to them.


That's unreasonable and totally impractical, what isn't impractical is Valve providing suggested pricing per region through their internal tools as with other regions,
cinedine 29 Jun @ 5:42am 
Originally posted by pckirk:
talk to the games publisher / developer. This steam sub-forum, is suggestions and ideas for the UI on the steam client, app, and website.. Has nothing to do with marketplace, games, prices etc....

Studios can only set prices for regions that Valve has implemented. None of those countries has regional pricing, none of them is using EUR nor even in the EU. Yet they have to pay Euro prices because they are situated in Europe.
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:
Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:
Yes. they are free to deviate from the suggestions, quite some developers and publishers do so in fact.

It's up to them.


That's unreasonable and totally impractical, what isn't impractical is Valve providing suggested pricing per region through their internal tools as with other regions,
You mean it's more convenient if Valve would do it for you. Just be honest.

Valve makes changes to such things every now and then. But only after doing extensive research. One also has to keep in mind that, and this will sound harsh, not all markets or consumers are equal in importance. The ones you mentioned? I very much doubt they're high on the priority list.
Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:


That's unreasonable and totally impractical, what isn't impractical is Valve providing suggested pricing per region through their internal tools as with other regions,
You mean it's more convenient if Valve would do it for you. Just be honest.

Valve makes changes to such things every now and then. But only after doing extensive research. One also has to keep in mind that, and this will sound harsh, not all markets or consumers are equal in importance. The ones you mentioned? I very much doubt they're high on the priority list.


Valve wouldn't be writing an individual email to millions of developers as you're suggesting I do, they'd just rightfully create a region (same as any other region) in their system so devs/producers follow it, it's as simple as that
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:
Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:
You mean it's more convenient if Valve would do it for you. Just be honest.

Valve makes changes to such things every now and then. But only after doing extensive research. One also has to keep in mind that, and this will sound harsh, not all markets or consumers are equal in importance. The ones you mentioned? I very much doubt they're high on the priority list.


Valve wouldn't be writing an individual email to millions of developers as you're suggesting I do, they'd just rightfully create a region (same as any other region) in their system so devs/producers follow it, it's as simple as that
That's not what I'm suggesting.

I refer you to the second part of my previous post, it's as simple as that.
I think it's the Developers OP.

Many years ago, before the Russian war situation, a game developer was seeing that because their game was cheaper in Russia, people influxed to buy the game, in Russia (don't ask me how they can do that, maybe VPNs what not).

And so he had to raise the price a great deal, angering, and even hundreds of posts by Russians out priced being what was going on.

It was a huge deal back then, because apparently a Russian clan made up a good percentage of the playbase, or otherwise brought in larger play counts.

But he had to do it.
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:
Valve wouldn't be writing an individual email to millions of developers as you're suggesting I do, they'd just rightfully create a region (same as any other region) in their system so devs/producers follow it, it's as simple as that

Be careful what you ask for, you might get it but it turning quite different what you expect.

First, devs and publishers would have to set prices for new region and lot of them either don't bother or can't because the developer or publisher no longer exist to make changes (lot of games are still missing from polish store for example as they have no set price in polish currency). Second, even if we assume Valve would recommend lower prices for the new region, that does not mean developers or publishers have any obligations to follow them (they might just convert EUR/USD price to new currency and be done with it) or you might even end up with higher prices like happened with polish store.

The most likely reasons Valve hasn't set region for non-EU Balkan is that market is too small/insignificant and all Balkan countries have applied for EU membership and are likely to apply to join Euro once admitted. While membership process is likely to still take years, they are all eventually likely to be accepted. Making new region might not be worth it if it's going to be removed in few years time anyway. Even if it were to be considered, it would unlikely support local currencies and more likely be Western Balkans (USD) similar to MENA or LATAM.
Last edited by Anonymous Helper; 29 Jun @ 6:40am
Originally posted by Anonymous Helper:
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:
Valve wouldn't be writing an individual email to millions of developers as you're suggesting I do, they'd just rightfully create a region (same as any other region) in their system so devs/producers follow it, it's as simple as that

Be careful what you ask for, you might get it but it turning quite different what you expect.

First, devs and publishers would have to set prices for new region and lot of them either don't bother or can't because the developer or publisher no longer exist to make changes (lot of games are still missing from polish store for example as they have no set price in polish currency). Second, even if we assume Valve would recommend lower prices for the new region, that does not mean developers or publishers have any obligations to follow them (they might just convert EUR/USD price to new currency and be done with it) or you might even end up with higher prices like happened with polish store.

The most likely reasons Valve hasn't set region for non-EU Balkan is that market is too small/insignificant and all Balkan countries have applied for EU membership and are likely to apply to join Euro once admitted. While membership process is likely to still take years, they are all eventually likely to be accepted. Making new region might not be worth it if it's going to be removed in few years time anyway. Even if it were to be considered, it would unlikely support local currencies and more likely be Western Balkans (USD) similar to MENA or LATAM.

Can't be worse than it currently is, I'm expected to pay for a game the same as a German who earns x5-10 for the same job. And I won't be paying. Instead of completing countless of CO-op and multiplayer games with friends, I am just just playing the F2Ps, and I bet hundreds of thousands of players from the region feel the same way.

It's a simple and easy solution for Steam to fix this and introduce millions of players to the market, not like they need any significant amount of resources to make this change.
Last edited by Deodat Lawson; 29 Jun @ 7:10am
Ettanin 29 Jun @ 7:14am 
once those countries join the european union, such regional prices would become illegal:
Valve cannot go against EU law and get your people better prices while excluding other EU member citizens from the better offers. Therefore, malicious compliance - everyone within the EU pays the same - the highest affordable price.
Last edited by Ettanin; 29 Jun @ 7:15am
Originally posted by Deodat Lawson:
You're asking me to write to millions of developers individually or ?

This regional pricing has been obviously categorized by Steam and devs follow it
Which ever method you prefer is fine, so long as it is you voicing your statement to the proper people. This is a user forum, not dissimilar to talking to people waiting at the bus stop outside of a police station regarding a crime in lieu of the police inside of the station.
nullable 29 Jun @ 11:00am 
It's very important to price games at a pittance so more people will buy them, because number of players is the only thing that really matters.

No wait, that's not right.

No business is ignoring valuable markets. So that might be a hint that the whole industry doesn't believe yiu're a priority. And trying to manipulate that through Steam is probably a waste of time.

Keep trying though. Something will change eventually.
Originally posted by nullable:
It's very important to price games at a pittance so more people will buy them, because number of players is the only thing that really matters.

No wait, that's not right.

No business is ignoring valuable markets. So that might be a hint that the whole industry doesn't believe yiu're a priority. And trying to manipulate that through Steam is probably a waste of time.

Keep trying though. Something will change eventually.

Manipulate? How dare a person from a country where the average player earns hell a lot less money than an average player in Turkey ask for a fair pricing?

And I will keep trying, I will contact both Steam and Valve support, perhaps I will succeed, perhaps I will not, thanks for the advice
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