Steam's Polish suggested regional pricing

[fakenzz]

Hello.

Are there plans for Steam to update localized pricing suggestions anytime soon?

I remember that Steam did it last year and its outdated and hurtful. I assume most developers use Steam's region pricesheet suggestion without making any major changes because pricing in PLN is currently abysmal for most games and hurting Polish customers.

Please look at this: https://steamdb.info/app/2054970/ or https://steamdb.info/app/2420110/ and set your currency to PLN to see what Im talking about.

TLDR screenshot of Dragon Dogma 2 prices: https://i.imgur.com/G49QFaE.png

This is just example from two AAA games released this month. There are tons of other examples with releases 2022< and even more extreme ones.

Why Polish customers have to pay more than initial price in USD not to mention Euro while we are in EU with similiar taxes?

Wasnt regional pricing suggestions supposed initially to help poorer countries?
Yet here we are in Poland paying more than most of the world like we were more rich than USA or wealthy EU countries..

Like I said earlier, I'm fully aware that it is publisher who is making the last call about pricing but most ignorant devs/publishers dont do research and currency conversion on their own and just depend on Steam's suggestions..

Anybody who made it this far reading that wall of text, especially if one's country is not affected, I really appreciate it


~~~~~~~~~~~~
EDIT 11.05.2024

WHAT CAN WE DO TLDR:

How to let Valve know about the inflated conversion rate?
- By returning games bought on Steam, citing overpricing relative to the rest of the world as the reason.
- Through Steam Technical Support: https://help.steampowered.com
- By contacting Steam's Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/Steam
- As a last resort, you can send cultured emails to Gabe Newell: https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/contact?contact-person=Gabe%20Newell

Credits: comment from https://lowcygier.pl/aktualnosci/ceny-gier-na-polskim-steamie-naleza-do-najwyzszych-na-swiecie-co-mozemy-z-tym-zrobic/

[Crazy Tiger]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Artemida:

You are right here:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

Ask them. They choose to set that price.

and here:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

The main thing is that markets and customers are not equal when it comes to importance.

I won't ask them though because I do not care. Most games I buy are from sites other than Steam. Then I activate the keys on Steam. Valve gets 0$ from those transactions. I have cheap unlimited fast internet (~7,27€ for 500 Mb/s per month). I can download, delete, and download again gigabytes of games daily. Valve gets 0$ but has to pay for all the bandwidth.

To the OP (and others similar) - stop begging Valve. Just buy your games elsewhere.
https://gg.deals/
https://isthereanydeal.com/

People should always shop for the best prices. And not limit themselves to Steam (as store or DRM) in that regard either, mind.

Most games I buy are via Fanatical, Humble, etc.

[Artemida]

Diposting pertama kali oleh William Shakesman:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Artemida:

Beg me harder! The fact that you think I really do that says a lot about you, LOL.

No... poor Valve ;_;

do you want me to give you a tissue or something? I apologize! I didn't mean to make you so upset!

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

People should always shop for the best prices. And not limit themselves to Steam (as store or DRM) in that regard either, mind.

Most games I buy are via Fanatical, Humble, etc.

Yes, I totally agree with that!

(I should stop buying games and just play the ones I already own ;))

[Ben Lubar]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

People should always shop for the best prices. And not limit themselves to Steam (as store or DRM) in that regard either, mind.

Most games I buy are via Fanatical, Humble, etc.

I personally just buy stuff on Steam directly because the time and effort I would spend constantly looking for deals is worth more than the $1 I might save.

[Crazy Tiger]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Ben Lubar:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

People should always shop for the best prices. And not limit themselves to Steam (as store or DRM) in that regard either, mind.

Most games I buy are via Fanatical, Humble, etc.

I personally just buy stuff on Steam directly because the time and effort I would spend constantly looking for deals is worth more than the $1 I might save.

I save much more than a buck that way, plus that money I can use for other things. I'm not rich, I have to think about my expenses.

I mainly get the stuff on Steam directly that isn't actually cheaper on those sites or other stores (some games like various JRPGs and such get the exact same discounts, for example) or isn't available there.

But you do you.

Diposting pertama kali oleh Artemida:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

People should always shop for the best prices. And not limit themselves to Steam (as store or DRM) in that regard either, mind.

Most games I buy are via Fanatical, Humble, etc.

Yes, I totally agree with that!

(I should stop buying games and just play the ones I already own ;))

Same, actually. Backlogs are a thing. Though I've cut down a bit on mine.

[fakenzz]

No matter what you guys try to tell yourself this situation is weird and inexcusable.

If you want regional pricing that follow currency exchange rates then actually ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ follow them?
Instead they made last update in 2022 and called it a day. If you want to treat us exactly same like other richer European countries then what is the point of PLN? Just let us pay in Euro.
Countries with bigger tax rates in EU can pay in € so why cant we?

Literally 0 excuses for us to be 1st or 2nd most expensive country to be in as Steam customer no matter what narrative you choose what is happening currently.


Idk if can delete this thread i probably will because it just became place for Steam forum wannabe janitors trying to ♥♥♥♥ up Valve

[Crazy Tiger]

Diposting pertama kali oleh fakenzz:

No matter what you guys try to tell yourself this situation is weird and inexcusable.

Sure. But doesn't change the actual reality that it's game devs/publishers that set the price.

[Simplex]

Sure. But doesn't change the actual reality that it's Steam that automatically sets a recommended price by default and informs the developers/publishers that this recommended automatic default price is good, and they don't need to worry about setting each price individually. And devs and publishers believe them, because it's Valve.

Another actual reality is that Valve promised to regulalry update their recomendation diue to of changing economic conditions, and since making that promise in October 2022 they updated the recommendation exactly 0 times.

What in actuall reality steam tells the developers and publishers:
https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/pricing#5

Regional Pricing Recommendations
(...) researching and determining ideal prices for dozens of different currencies can be a challenge for some developers. As a service for helping you manage pricing across all our different currencies, Steam offers a recommendation for all other currencies, based on whatever USD price you choose. When you are entering your pricing for your game, you will notice Steam fill in a set of recommendations based on your selected USD price. (...)

So, how does Valve determine those recommendations?
It's tempting to treat pricing as a simple problem of foreign exchange rates and tie each currency's price equivalency to the exchange rate. But that kind of strategy vastly oversimplifies the disparate economic circumstances from one territory to another. And while exchange rates do have macroeconomic consequences, they generally don't have short term impacts on an individual consumer's purchasing.
Rather than just pegging prices to foreign exchange rates, our process for price suggestions goes deeper into the nuts and bolts of what players pay for the goods and services in their lives. This includes metrics like purchasing-power parity and consumer price indexes, which help compare prices and costs more broadly across a bunch of different economic sectors. But in the case of games on Steam, we also drill down more specifically to entertainment purchasing to better inform those decisions.
All of these factors have driven us towards the commitment to refresh these price suggestions on a much more regular cadence, so that we're keeping pace with economic changes over time.
(...)we hope the recommendations are a useful data point for developers who don’t have the time or interest to research pricing in each currency themselves.

[MonsieurEmpereurTheSecond]

The people arguing against literal intent of regional prices are just trolls or contrarians. Or, they live in more expensive region and are just angry that someone, somewhere, would pay less than them.

Steam probably won't update the recommended pricing because oblivious/ignorant people still buy the games at current recommended prices.

Recommended prices for PLN should be reduced so when publishers use them it actually functions as regional pricing based on purchasing power of currency/country.

Also people arguing about technicalities. "itS aCTuaLY pUBliShErS", yeah, sure explains how the regional pricing of certain games is lower on different storefronts.

[HikariLight]

Diposting pertama kali oleh MonsieurEmpereurTheSecond:

The people arguing against literal intent of regional prices are just trolls or contrarians. Or, they live in more expensive region and are just angry that someone, somewhere, would pay less than them.

Steam probably won't update the recommended pricing because oblivious/ignorant people still buy the games at current recommended prices.

Recommended prices for PLN should be reduced so when publishers use them it actually functions as regional pricing based on purchasing power of currency/country.

Also people arguing about technicalities. "itS aCTuaLY pUBliShErS", yeah, sure explains how the regional pricing of certain games is lower on different storefronts.

Steam's suggested prices for Poland are LOWER than the prices that the devs/pubs set.
Steam has NO say in what the Devs set as the price.
A store that allows companies to sell through them does not get to set the prices of items they don't have the rights to.
Amazon for example doesn't set the prices of the items sold on it, the person/business selling the items does.

[Simplex]

Diposting pertama kali oleh HikariLight:

Steam's suggested prices for Poland are LOWER than the prices that the devs/pubs set.

It's a blatant lie. If this was true, this thread would not exist.

Diposting pertama kali oleh HikariLight:

Steam has NO say in what the Devs set as the price.

Another lie. Steam documentation for developers:

When you are entering your pricing for your game, you will notice Steam fill in a set of recommendations based on your selected USD price.

What are you trying to achieve by writing these lies?

[Crazy Tiger]

It's not a lie. The game devs/publishers have to condirm whatever price they set. It's *their* choice to use whatever price they like.

Just because someone suggests something does not mean they have a say.

[On Vacation]

Diposting pertama kali oleh HikariLight:

Diposting pertama kali oleh MonsieurEmpereurTheSecond:

The people arguing against literal intent of regional prices are just trolls or contrarians. Or, they live in more expensive region and are just angry that someone, somewhere, would pay less than them.

Steam probably won't update the recommended pricing because oblivious/ignorant people still buy the games at current recommended prices.

Recommended prices for PLN should be reduced so when publishers use them it actually functions as regional pricing based on purchasing power of currency/country.

Also people arguing about technicalities. "itS aCTuaLY pUBliShErS", yeah, sure explains how the regional pricing of certain games is lower on different storefronts.

Steam's suggested prices for Poland are LOWER than the prices that the devs/pubs set.
Steam has NO say in what the Devs set as the price.
A store that allows companies to sell through them does not get to set the prices of items they don't have the rights to.
Amazon for example doesn't set the prices of the items sold on it, the person/business selling the items does.

I can name a game off the top of my head that showcases this isn't the case. Valve's suggested price for Factorio is 161,99zł. That is a higher suggested price then everywhere but Switzerland. There's not really any justification for that, no matter what economic metric you use. The developer's have thankfully chosen to forgo using Valve's suggested pricing, but developer's should be able to trust in the supposed ongoing research that Valve does to get to their suggested price.

[Crazy Tiger]

No, developers should do their due and use Steams suggested pricing as one of the sources for their decisions, not the sole one.

Blind trust isn't good, nor smart, in business.

[Artemida]

Diposting pertama kali oleh HikariLight:

Steam has NO say in what the Devs set as the price.

okay... and...? How is that a problem?
No one is asking Steam to tell the devs how to set the prices.

Steam already offers a recommended price for each store region. People are asking Valve to update those suggested prices. That is all.

IF Valve updates those recommended prices, developers on Steam will still have full control over their own prices.

I will repeat: People are NOT asking Valve to force developers to change the prices. They are requesting Steam to update its price suggestions more regularly.

[fakenzz]

You are wasting your breath with him, look at his profile. Its classic ragebaiter farming clown awards, i have no clue why steam doesnt ban them. Literal plague of forums and reviews