Pricing in Namibia

[Slaine]

Please note, it has come to the gaming community's notice that South African Pricing on games vs Namibian pricing has a ridiculous pricing gap. Namibia's currency is linked to the South African rand and are on a 1 to 1 exchange ratio, yet we are not offered the same pricing on games that South Africa enjoys.

Epic Store takes into account our region and our currency that is linked to rand and they give better pricing in this regard.

Steam needs to take a look at this as I have noticed a definite migration of player away from the platform due to this very same issue.

Are there any other countries that experience the same issue?

[Wolf Knight]

the game developers set the price, not steam. if you wish to complain about how a game is priced, you need to go to that games forum where the game developer might see your post.

[Sleepy Yoshi]

This has come up before and it did seem to me that all of the countries in the common monetary area should be using Rand instead of USD. Don't really understand why this isn't the case all things given.

[Slaine]

@Wolf Knight - Steam to an extend do agreements on pricing for countries with a weaker exchange. They organize the price decreases in conjunction with the Gaming companies. The reason that they do this is to keep multiplayer games online longer in areas with less gamers so that the add-ons sells and more players join. Case in point Livonia for DAYZ. All I'm saying is that if they don't start giving attention people are going to move to other platforms. Case in point - Railway Empire 2 is US$ 35.99 on Epic Store with regional discount. On steam it is US$ 49.99. I belong to a group of 38 gamers of whom 18 has gone and bought the game on Epic because of this discount. Now I know we are not a lot but it is a quick growing market in the SADC region and people are actively moving to other platforms at an alarming rate and word is spreading. I'm a big Steam fan and don't want to see this happen but it has and will continue to do.

@Sleepy Yoshi - Thank you for seeing my point.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Slaine:

@Wolf Knight - Steam to an extend do agreements on pricing for countries with a weaker exchange. They organize the price decreases in conjunction with the Gaming companies. The reason that they do this is to keep multiplayer games online longer in areas with less gamers so that the add-ons sells and more players join. Case in point Livonia for DAYZ. All I'm saying is that if they don't start giving attention people are going to move to other platforms. Case in point - Railway Empire 2 is US$ 35.99 on Epic Store with regional discount. On steam it is US$ 49.99. I belong to a group of 38 gamers of whom 18 has gone and bought the game on Epic because of this discount. Now I know we are not a lot but it is a quick growing market in the SADC region and people are actively moving to other platforms at an alarming rate and word is spreading. I'm a big Steam fan and don't want to see this happen but it has and will continue to do.

And the publisher decided to sell it cheaper on Epic than Steam. The onus still falls on them and not Valve.

[Slaine]

@ Hotsause. Sigh. I will try to explain it to you slowly. The region that we fall under is SADC. This means the monetary medium is the SA rand. Steam store prices should be in rand. There is a price difference between South African steam prices and Ours. Because these countries are in the same common monetary they should also receive the same pricing. Hence steam asks the publishers to decrease the price for those countries to get more player to buy.

If you are confused at this point please ask a friend what he would pay in South Africa for a game and then check the price in U$ for the rest of the monitory region. Comprehend? Other game platforms takes this into account e.g. GOG and Epic Store. Hell, even Amazon does.

[Nx Machina]

Rail Empire 2 is £49.99 on Steam and Epic because the developer, publisher sets the price.

Another example of the developer, publisher setting the price.

The Outer Worlds - £24.99 Steam - £24.99 Epic - £24.99 GOG.

The Outer Worlds Spacer Choice Edition - £49.99 Steam - £49.99 Epic - £49.99 GOG.


Secondly you have your own currency the Namibian Dollar.

[Slaine]

@ Nx Machina - Try to coprehend this. I'll try and go even slower for you this time...

1. Price Currently of Xenonauts 2 in South Africa when Buying through steam using rand: R 499.00 = USD 27.22
2. Price Currently of Xenonauts when buying from a country that is linked to the rand through steam, meaning it has the same exchange but we have to buyin US because Steam Does not know that the currencies is linked: USD 39.99 = R 733.06.
3. Price Currently of Xenonauts 2 in South Africa when Buying through Epic Store using rand: R 274.25 = USD 14.99
4. Price Currently of Xenonauts 2 in South Africa when Buying through Epic Store from a country that is linked to the rand using us dollar: USD=14.99 = R 274.78

This clearly means steam does not take into consideration countries that has linked currencies. Otherwise our prices should be the same as South Africa. This is why people here are migrating away from steam. So what I'm saying is that Steam does not handle the Linked Currencies situation very well at all.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by Slaine:

@ Nx Machina - Try to coprehend this. I'll try and go even slower for you this time...

1. Price Currently of Xenonauts 2 in South Africa when Buying through steam using rand: R 499.00 = USD 27.22
2. Price Currently of Xenonauts when buying from a country that is linked to the rand through steam, meaning it has the same exchange but we have to buyin US because Steam Does not know that the currencies is linked: USD 39.99 = R 733.06.
3. Price Currently of Xenonauts 2 in South Africa when Buying through Epic Store using rand: R 274.25 = USD 14.99
4. Price Currently of Xenonauts 2 in South Africa when Buying through Epic Store from a country that is linked to the rand using us dollar: USD=14.99 = R 274.78

This clearly means steam does not take into consideration countries that has linked currencies. Otherwise our prices should be the same as South Africa. This is why people here are migrating away from steam. So what I'm saying is that Steam does not handle the Linked Currencies situation very well at all.

You have your own currency after you ceded from SA in 1990 and although the SA Rand is still considered legal tender in Namibia it is only exchanged on a one-to-one basis "locally".

SA Rand on the other hand is supported by Steam whereas your currency is not as your store region is linked to where you actually live, which is not SA.

Would i prefer to pay in GBP or other currencies where i would pay less and the answer is the not GBP but my store page is linked to my region, which is linked to an address in the UK, and in turn my payment method is linked to said address in the UK.

[Slaine]

@ Machina - We have a linked currency with means a 1 to 1 exchange. It is not about paying less but paying the same as a country who has a LINKED 1 to 1 exchange. Are you really that stupid as to not realizing what a 1 to 1 exchange is?

[Slaine]

Please if you comment try and first figure out what a 1 to 1 exchange is. Then google what a linked Currency is. Also google common monetary region.

[HikariLight]

Not all currencies have the same purchase power.
The currency that you use does not have the value you think it does.
This is just like with the Turkish Lira, the users thought it had amazing purchase power but in reality it did not.

Also the Epic Games Store has failed to make money in the 5ish years it has been running, the reason is because they use a bad business model.

[Slaine]

@HikariLight: Please if you comment try and first figure out what a 1 to 1 exchange is. Then google what a linked Currency is. Also google common monetary region.

Its not about the purchase power of the Currency. It's a "Common Monetary Region". A 1 to 1 Exchange. First google then type.

[Slaine]

As to Epic failing. Yet is is currently but once people in CMR's find out, which is the emerging markets, they will quickly switch because they are treated equal to the country that handles the CMR. I love steam but in all fairness (Fairness!!!) they need to look at CMR's.

[HikariLight]

Originally posted by Slaine:

@HikariLight: Please if you comment try and first figure out what a 1 to 1 exchange is. Then google what a linked Currency is. Also google common monetary region.

Its not about the purchase power of the Currency. It's a "Common Monetary Region". A 1 to 1 Exchange. First google then type.

And the 1to1 does not apply to Steam.
That is between your currency and the currency used on Steam.
The currency used on Steam does not have the value you think it has.

[Slaine]

To give an Example, my last 14 games has been Epic/GOG Purchases. Our bigger Namibian gaming group, about 41 people that buys a lot of games are purchasing form EPIC/GOG. The PC-Gaming market here grows by about 10% per year here. I want steam to simply look at CMR.