Russian game prices ? wat ?

[Confused Sandwich_]

Hello. I just discovered that russians have extra low games prices. I need to know why ? Dont say about poor russian economy. My countrys economy is poor too, but we need to pay for games as the rest of europe. Why steam do this ? Please do this to other countrys please.

[Raiden]

Not sure but you're probably in Eurpean Union, and as long as it's true Valve thinks we use eurobucks on the same terms as the rest of the EU, no matter the economy.

[Dr. Fronkensteen]

It is not up to Valve. Publishers set prices.

[Ninethousand]

If the developers sell the game cheaper somewhere else, you can usually get the game from there. Just make a russian steam account or whatever. It's not like russians can't play on our servers or stuff like that... Having a russian game doesn't limit you in any way XD

[Skyvastern]

Originally posted by Barf The Mawg:

It is not up to Valve. Publishers set prices.

Yeah its upto publishers but this regional pricing thing is implemented through Valve only. Once that is done then publishers set their own prices according to the region.

[Red Shift]

Hopefully attitudes and posistions are changing, but at one point Russia basically contributed nothing towards software, and other online media, sales while still consuming as much as anywhere else.
Publishers would prefer to offer them rock bottom prices as something is better than nothing.

[Forcen]

The difference is that Russia is a huge country with lots of potential customers.
For comparison Russia takes up 7.5% of the global Steam Traffic and Lithuania takes up 0.1%.
http://store.steampowered.com/stats/content/

They figured out they could convert so many pirates in Russia by lowering their prices and made a whole lot of money on that.

It's not really fair to you or any other country that has similar income to Russia but that's the way it is. I bet there are people in Norway who could use cheaper games also but they live in the richest country in the world so their games are the most expensive or vice versa with rich people in Russia.

I mean they could maybe earn money if everyone paid for games based on their individual income but that would be a lot of work. This Russia pricing is just a smart simple move where the numbers make sense, or it was simple and problem free until people in Russia started reselling games and now we have this region gift restriction stuff..

[Wraith_Magus]

Well, even if you don't want people to say it's about the Russian economy, it's about the Russian economy.

When the Russian economy tanked after the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions regime, the buying power of the Ruble tanked with it. Basically, compared to just a year before, games would cost triple what they used to past the sanctions. And it really was a dramatic turn, happening in the span of only a couple months, although it's not exactly recovered since them. When a single game costs as much as a month's rent, not that many people are going to be buying that many games, you know? Publishers have to cut the price down to what people are willing to pay or they won't make sales at all.

When this happened was when there was that surge in use of VPNs for people to try to buy games "in Russia" for Russian prices, causing Steam to start permanently banning anyone using VPNs on Steam and region-locking the games so that they couldn't be bought at Russian prices then resold in black market websites back to non-Russian consumers.

[Flaif]

Russia has rampant pirating problems, so they make the prices low to try to make people buy legit

[76561198001062896]

Originally posted by Ninethousand:

If the developers sell the game cheaper somewhere else, you can usually get the game from there. Just make a russian steam account or whatever. It's not like russians can't play on our servers or stuff like that... Having a russian game doesn't limit you in any way XD

Theres no such thing ae russian steam account, unless you are suggesting OP to use a VPN, which i would strongly not recommend

[neo]

Originally posted by Flaif:

Russia has rampant pirating problems, so they make the prices low to try to make people buy legit

Same thing here in India also so maybe it has to do with piracy. The honest you are and the more you pay.

[Chrome]

no

[Confused Sandwich_]

This is so unfair. Because my country have same problems. lol

[Gilga ™ |Yonaguni|]

Originally posted by Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ossas:

This is so unfair. Because my country have same problems. lol

Well time to understand that life is not always fair, anyway would you like to live in russia?

So dont be sad about the pricing, you live in a state that is part of the EU, you have so much more to be happy about, then to worry about some game prices.

[Confused Sandwich_]

Originally posted by Gilga™:

Originally posted by Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ossas:

This is so unfair. Because my country have same problems. lol

Well time to understand that life is not always fair, anyway would you like to live in russia?

So dont be sad about the pricing, you live in a state that is part of the EU, you have so much more to be happy about, then to worry about some game prices.

everything in my country have big prices :( everything.

[Gilga ™ |Yonaguni|]

Originally posted by Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ossas:

everything in my country have big prices :( everything.

Well. what do you think about other EU countries, do you know how much rent a flat cost in Germany or a pack of cigs in GB?

If you have to worry about pricing, then you really should not worry about PC games, this is pure luxury and to be not able to buy them, is a first world problem.

Anyway games are often on sales, or buy them from humble, or check out officiale sellers.