The likes of Steam and even GOG have, in recent months, been doing their damndest to prevent users from picking up games on the cheap from other territories, but it could all be for naught if the European Commision has anything to do with it.
The executive body of the European Union has had enough with regional limits on digital sales, and wants to instead create a Digital Single Market. Valve recently clamped down on users doing this, even preventing cross-region gifting. GOG meanwhile made a name for itself for DRM-free games and its Fair Price Package, designed to eliminate region-specific pricing - an element increasingly forgotten in the push to get content from publishers.
The Juncker Commission is the body of the European Commision now responsible for digital legislation, making it a goal to break down the barriers enforced by digital storefronts.
“Let us do away with all those fences and walls that block us online,” said Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market. “People must be able to freely go across borders online just as they do offline.”
The effect of such a store change is that a single price would be available across the entirety of Europe. Many Steam users will be familiar with cheaper games available from Russian key sellers, available for a fraction of the price of a German or British copy, for example. If price discrimination were to be eliminated we would likely see an average price across all European territories, either a cheaper one to ensure all markets are catered to or raising every country to the maximum price.
Whether they’re successful or not remains to be seen, but the ramifications for digital storefronts like Steam could be huge.
Do you agree prices should be the same across all territories? Or is it only fair certain countries pay more? Let us know what you think!
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