Polish regional pricing of Monster Train 2. #PolishOurPrices

[Sir Otterman]

To preface: I've bought Monster Train 1 before Volvo changed steam's automatic regional pricing for Poland. In preparation for MT2 I checked how that game is priced today and sure enough Poles are getting the short end of a stick again. More info about the issue here: PolishOurPrices [kursnasteam.pl]

other helpful links: https://x.com/HardwiredStdios/status/1830984251262804383
https://x.com/hashtag/PolishOurPrices?src=hashtag_click&f=live

,but a
TL;DR is that:
Steam has changed regional pricing during covid 19 when PLN was in all time low (for only 2-3 months mind you). It quickly went back up to normal but a draconian exchange rate remained. While 1 EUR = 4.18 PLN as of today, by steam's calculations 1 EUR = 4.70 PLN. /TL;DR
Steam promised to update exchange rates when the situation changes, but that was a lie since we are coming up on 3 years of overinflated prices. That means that for a vast majority of games Poles pay up to 30% (yes some publishers really don't give a ♥♥♥♥ about us) more than other EUROzone countries, while being the 10th biggest player group on steam. It's simply unfair that rather than paying equally or slightly lower than other more developed European countries (basically how it has always been on Steam due to purchasing power parity [www.investopedia.com]) we, in fact, are paying through the nose. I know that many devs and publishers don't want to spend time researching pricing so they just go with steam's recommendations, but I urge you, the developers, to reconsider pricing for both your Monster Train games just as some of the other devs did when they were informed about the issue:

Hades 2
or
Doorkickers 2
or
many others [lowcygier-pl.translate.goog]
#PolishOurPrices

[Jami]

+1

[Andrew466]

+1

[wodny]

Please change a price for Poland.

[Oh Turkey]

In the entire time it took you to write that, you could have gone out and gotten a better job.

[Sir Otterman]

Originally posted by Oh Turkey:

In the entire time it took you to write that, you could have gone out and gotten a better job.

Sure thing, buddy. Thanks for the advice! In the time you took to write your extremely witty and on topic response you could have read my post and not make a fool of yourself.

[HouseOfTheRat]

I think what he is saying is that if you can't afford to save 25 euros in two months, to spend in exchange for not one or two, but a few dozen (at least) of hours of entertainment, then maybe you should rearrange your priorities. Writing a long, researched post about how you should be entitled to slightly cheaper games for which everyone else pays the same price maybe shouldn't be near the top of your list.

Hashtagging it is just cringe lol.

[Sir Otterman]

Originally posted by HouseOfTheRat:

I think what he is saying is that if you can't afford to save 25 euros in two months, to spend in exchange for not one or two, but a few dozen (at least) of hours of entertainment, then maybe you should rearrange your priorities. Writing a long, researched post about how you should be entitled to slightly cheaper games for which everyone else pays the same price maybe shouldn't be near the top of your list.

Hashtagging it is just cringe lol.

If you didn't understand the issue from my short detailed post (and you've all but admitted that you did not), then I'm not so sure anything I write further will change that fact, but, by God, I will try:

Here's a hint and it's on the house at that. Not everyone in the world pays the same price for games and for that matter for many other goods and services. That's what regional pricing is for. PPP (purchasing power parity) is also clearly stated in Steam's pricing policy. The thing is, that very same regional pricing is broken for Poland at the moment. We pay on average 15% more for most of the games on steam. while our purchasing power still hasn't caught up with the west. We are the second most expensive regioun on steam in the whole world. Only Switzerland has slightly more expensive games than we do. A double whammy one could say.

It is very likely that you are just a troll just like the guy before, but if not I hope you can look at the matter objectively, because it is not at all the case of "just get a better job" "just save lol" or "I bet you can't afford the game you poor"

[HouseOfTheRat]

Sure you can call everyone a troll if that makes you feel better, after all you don't want a discussion, you just want to draw attention in any way possible.

Take a look at some of the most popular games on SteamDB, Polish price is the same as the rest of the EEA. Oh wait: CD PROJEKT RED games, which are made in Poland and are therefore much much cheaper to make than games made in France or Sweden, are 30% MORE EXPENSIVE for the rest of Europe.

Are you sure you are not the troll after all?

[wodny]

Please stop, this is a known Steam issue - many countries suffer because of it.

[Sir Otterman]

Originally posted by HouseOfTheRat:

Sure you can call everyone a troll if that makes you feel better, after all you don't want a discussion, you just want to draw attention in any way possible.

Take a look at some of the most popular games on SteamDB, Polish price is the same as the rest of the EEA. Oh wait: CD PROJEKT RED games, which are made in Poland and are therefore much much cheaper to make than games made in France or Sweden, are 30% MORE EXPENSIVE for the rest of Europe.

Are you sure you are not the troll after all?

Seriously? You are being intentionally obtuse. Steam's recommended pricing for Poland is second highest in the world. If the developers/publishers do decide to use that, then the price will be 2nd highest in the world. If they don't use steam's recommended pricing and think of appropriate pricing themselves then the price will be the same as in EUR or lower. You are also cherrypicking your examples. The facts are that most games are more expensive because most publishers/devs use steam's recommendations. If you just look at most popular games on steamDB you can see that out of the 15 titles, 9 of them are free, 3 are more expensive in Poland, 1 is cheaper and one has the same price. Trending games have most of the games being more expensive in Poland. Many developers/publishers have already reduced their pricing, because people have brought up the issue to them. That's what I'm here for. If the devs consider reducing the price then great. Mission accomplished. If not, well that's their perogative.

You are also sidestepping most of my post like PPP, exchange rate, steam's promise and so on, because you have no arguments to stand on.

Facts are on my side. Verdict is clear. You are a troll.

[HouseOfTheRat]

Good thing that anyone can visit steamdb.info, set polish currency, and see the actual prices for themselves (for example Monster Hunter of TLU). I am not sure why you bring up free games - are you saying that paying 0 zloty is much more expensive than paying 0 euros? lol

As anyone can see on steamdb, games are the same price for Poland and EEA, and even for the UK and Switzerland - just small, fluctuating differences due to exchange rates. And games made in Poland (for example CP2077) are not only not cheaper overall, but on top of being the same price as an AAA title made in Sweden they are 30% more expensive for the rest of Europe. www.steamdb.info

I did not sidestep purchasing power btw, I commented about the cost of making games in Poland vs their price before, just like I did now. I guess you don't know what purchasing power really is? You also said, and I quote:

Originally posted by Sir Otterman:

it is not at all the case of "just get a better job" "just save lol" or "I bet you can't afford the game you poor"

But that is exactly what purchasing power is about - essentially the ratio of income to prices. I didn't want to bring up that part, but since you insist in forcing this, then yes: if you can't afford to save 25 euros in two months, like the other guy told you looking for a better job instead of arguing in game forums is actually very good advice. Some people around the world can't afford to save for clothes, rent, or even food. You are crying about games allegedly being a few euros more expensive (but anyone reading this: check out steamdb, they aren't). Like I said before, it is the attitude most of all.

The publisher will set whatever price is better for them, not better for you. But I am sure that if they lower the regional price because they see that this gets them higher overall revenue, you will take all the credit for it. At least thank me too, because I am the only one who gave this thread any visibility in the end lol.

[wodny]

Please look at Monster Train price history at SteamDB.

Poland is at the 2nd place if you sort it from the highest to the lowest converted price.

[HouseOfTheRat]

Originally posted by Sir Otterman:

Wow anyone can indeed go to steam db and see that you are talking out of you rear end.
Monster hunter world more expensive in poland.
TLOU more expensive in poland

So this guy is really making all this fuss about 1-2% price difference because of exchange rates lol

[wodny]

Originally posted by HouseOfTheRat:

Originally posted by Sir Otterman:

Wow anyone can indeed go to steam db and see that you are talking out of you rear end.
Monster hunter world more expensive in poland.
TLOU more expensive in poland

So this guy is really making all this fuss about 1-2% price difference because of exchange rates lol

Are you for real? Monster Train in Poland has 15,45% higher price than in the USA for example.

It is not 1-2% but more like 9-10%.

[HouseOfTheRat]

Monster Hunter, not Monster train bro. Not only cherry-picking, but you are trying to confuse things lol.

Monster Train was released 5 years ago, anything goes. Also it's a half-price game. Some part of the price difference has got to be flat, so that's why the percentage turns out bigger. The actual difference is around 2 euros. That's exchange rate difference. The pricing is the same.

So yeah if we assume that Monster Train 2 will launch at the same price as the first game, OP is protesting that saving 2 euros over 2 months is impossibly hard.

Meanwhile, after several posts no one has commented about how the difference turns out cheaper for the Polish market in some games, or how games made in Poland are massively marked up (25-30%) for the rest of Europe, even though they are a lot cheaper to make because of purchasing power differences. Yea, I didn't think anyone would.

I'm gonna stop bumping this thread now, already gave it way more visibility than anyone else did. You are welcome.