Why Does Poland Have to Pay Such High Game Prices?

[Adamek]

Hello, since I buy games exclusively on Steam, I would like to address an important issue, namely the prices for Poland. They are so high that Poles end up paying as much as the wealthiest and most developed countries like Switzerland or Saudi Arabia. The difference compared to other countries can be as much as 40-60%. Valve ignores this and forces Poland into purchasing from unofficial sources like Eneba, etc. This approach risks financial losses for Valve and forces Poles to find workarounds because 330 PLN, which is currently 77.10 EUR, seems outrageous for a modern AAA game.

[Brian9824]

You can blame the EU for that, they sued Valve a while ago because Valve was offering games at cheaper prices for other regions of the EU and forced Valve to only allow devs to offer 1 price for all the EU. So countries in the EU with weaker currencies get screwed.

Valve in general has nothing to do with the game prices, those are set by the developer.

[Adamek]

Originally posted by Brian9824:

You can blame the EU for that, they sued Valve a while ago because Valve was offering games at cheaper prices for other regions of the EU and forced Valve to only allow devs to offer 1 price for all the EU. So countries in the EU with weaker currencies get screwed.

Valve in general has nothing to do with the game prices, those are set by the developer.

The EU seems to worsen things more each year rather than improving them. It's a shame, but unfortunately, the prices in Poland are prohibitive and not in line with the earnings of most of the population. This issue affects not only modern AAA games but also older titles that used to be available for 2 euros in magazines, but now cost 19 euros (80 PLN) on Steam. It's unfortunate that having our own currency seems to have no significance when you're part of the EU.

[BJWyler]

Originally posted by Adamek:

Originally posted by Brian9824:

You can blame the EU for that, they sued Valve a while ago because Valve was offering games at cheaper prices for other regions of the EU and forced Valve to only allow devs to offer 1 price for all the EU. So countries in the EU with weaker currencies get screwed.

Valve in general has nothing to do with the game prices, those are set by the developer.

The EU seems to worsen things more each year rather than improving them. It's a shame, but unfortunately, the prices in Poland are prohibitive and not in line with the earnings of most of the population. This issue affects not only modern AAA games but also older titles that used to be available for 2 euros in magazines, but now cost 19 euros (80 PLN) on Steam. It's unfortunate that having our own currency seems to have no significance when you're part of the EU.

That's a problem only solvable at the ballot box. Nothing that devs, Valve, or forum posters can do about that, bud.

[Yujah]

Originally posted by Adamek:

The EU seems to worsen things more each year rather than improving them.

Not so much specifically for Poland as a country though. I.e., note things such as https://www.statista.com/chart/18794/net-contributors-to-eu-budget/ Poland is the by (very) far biggest net-beneficiary of EU subsidies/grants.

[Adamek]

Originally posted by Yujah:

Originally posted by Adamek:

The EU seems to worsen things more each year rather than improving them.

Not so much specifically for Poland as a country though. I.e., note things such as https://www.statista.com/chart/18794/net-contributors-to-eu-budget/ Poland is the by (very) far biggest net-beneficiary of EU subsidies/grants.

we are beneficiary of Tusk and imigrant, cause most money will be defrauded by politics and there fammilies and typical pleb like me will pay some insane prices like citizen of Swizerland who earn 3x more.

[peppermint hollows]

Originally posted by Adamek:

Originally posted by Yujah:

Not so much specifically for Poland as a country though. I.e., note things such as https://www.statista.com/chart/18794/net-contributors-to-eu-budget/ Poland is the by (very) far biggest net-beneficiary of EU subsidies/grants.

we are beneficiary of Tusk and imigrant, cause most money will be defrauded by politics and there fammilies and typical pleb like me will pay some insane prices like citizen of Swizerland who earn 3x more.

Switzerland is not in the EU and Swiss actually pay much more for games than even the EU. You are just paying EU prices but it is true that is still high for Poland. Unfortunately it is a problem for users in all EU countries (like Greece) since everyone has to pay the same price.

[Adamek]

Originally posted by peppermint hollows:

Originally posted by Adamek:

we are beneficiary of Tusk and imigrant, cause most money will be defrauded by politics and there fammilies and typical pleb like me will pay some insane prices like citizen of Swizerland who earn 3x more.

Switzerland is not in the EU and Swiss actually pay much more for games than even the EU. You are just paying EU prices but it is true that is still high for Poland. Unfortunately it is a problem for users in all EU countries (like Greece) since everyone has to pay the same price.

But if it's such a problem, why doesn't Steam try to negotiate with the European Union to come up with a price that would be acceptable for each country? Similarly, what about the MEPs (Members of the European Parliament)? Why are they sitting there and taking a salary if they can't work out an agreement that satisfies consumers of electronic entertainment? I'm curious whether Epic and other launchers have the same issue with such high prices in Europe. After all, everyone is losing out—gamers, Steam—and only shady sites selling keys bought with stolen credit card money are profiting.

[peppermint hollows]

Originally posted by Adamek:

Originally posted by peppermint hollows:

Switzerland is not in the EU and Swiss actually pay much more for games than even the EU. You are just paying EU prices but it is true that is still high for Poland. Unfortunately it is a problem for users in all EU countries (like Greece) since everyone has to pay the same price.

But if it's such a problem, why doesn't Steam try to negotiate with the European Union to come up with a price that would be acceptable for each country? Similarly, what about the MEPs (Members of the European Parliament)? Why are they sitting there and taking a salary if they can't work out an agreement that satisfies consumers of electronic entertainment? I'm curious whether Epic and other launchers have the same issue with such high prices in Europe. After all, everyone is losing out—gamers, Steam—and only shady sites selling keys bought with stolen credit card money are profiting.

Because Valve does not set the prices of games and does not try to force developers/publishers to set any specific price. That is up to the developers. I'm not sure about how other launchers & stores handle pricing though I do know Epic does support more currencies than Steam does, surprisingly (offering every European currency, including PLN, HUF, SEK, NOK, DKK, CHF, etc.).

[Aluvard]

Originally posted by peppermint hollows:

Because Valve does not set the prices of games and does not try to force developers/publishers to set any specific price. That is up to the developers. I'm not sure about how other launchers & stores handle pricing though I do know Epic does support more currencies than Steam does, surprisingly (offering every European currency, including PLN, HUF, SEK, NOK, DKK, CHF, etc.).

True but it's the same case like Steam. Price in euro or it's equivalent in local currency.

Only thing that can be counted as a "pro" here - it seems that EGS update their exchange rates more frequently.

[Adamek]

Originally posted by Aluvard:

Originally posted by peppermint hollows:

Because Valve does not set the prices of games and does not try to force developers/publishers to set any specific price. That is up to the developers. I'm not sure about how other launchers & stores handle pricing though I do know Epic does support more currencies than Steam does, surprisingly (offering every European currency, including PLN, HUF, SEK, NOK, DKK, CHF, etc.).

True but it's the same case like Steam. Price in euro or it's equivalent in local currency.

Only thing that can be counted as a "pro" here - it seems that EGS update their exchange rates more frequently.

Yes, I've heard about this issue—Valve not updating prices because why bother taking care of customers from Poland or other poorer and smaller countries when it's working, and no one is complaining, so why change it? That's why I started this post—to help not only Poland but also less developed countries that have to pay outrageous prices for new games. It can't be that Russians are paying 60% of what Europeans pay, or that Turks or Vietnamese pay even less. Valve should update currency conversion rates much more frequently and start paying attention to this problem. I've heard that games might cost around 500-600 PLN (which is about 140 euros) starting next year. No one is going to buy them at that price.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Adamek:

Originally posted by Aluvard:

True but it's the same case like Steam. Price in euro or it's equivalent in local currency.

Only thing that can be counted as a "pro" here - it seems that EGS update their exchange rates more frequently.

Yes, I've heard about this issue—Valve not updating prices because why bother taking care of customers from Poland or other poorer and smaller countries when it's working, and no one is complaining, so why change it? That's why I started this post—to help not only Poland but also less developed countries that have to pay outrageous prices for new games. It can't be that Russians are paying 60% of what Europeans pay, or that Turks or Vietnamese pay even less. Valve should update currency conversion rates much more frequently and start paying attention to this problem. I've heard that games might cost around 500-600 PLN (which is about 140 euros) starting next year. No one is going to buy them at that price.

Every company values their markets. And not all markets are equal, not all countries are equal in that. Some markets are much more interesting and valuable, so the focus is on that.

These lesser developed countries very often aren't moneymakers, so logically they have less priority than the countries where a constant and good revenue is coming from.

[Adamek]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Originally posted by Adamek:

Yes, I've heard about this issue—Valve not updating prices because why bother taking care of customers from Poland or other poorer and smaller countries when it's working, and no one is complaining, so why change it? That's why I started this post—to help not only Poland but also less developed countries that have to pay outrageous prices for new games. It can't be that Russians are paying 60% of what Europeans pay, or that Turks or Vietnamese pay even less. Valve should update currency conversion rates much more frequently and start paying attention to this problem. I've heard that games might cost around 500-600 PLN (which is about 140 euros) starting next year. No one is going to buy them at that price.

Every company values their markets. And not all markets are equal, not all countries are equal in that. Some markets are much more interesting and valuable, so the focus is on that.

These lesser developed countries very often aren't moneymakers, so logically they have less priority than the countries where a constant and good revenue is coming from.

That's why we need to speak up and pressure Valve to do something about this. Big companies are talking about equality now, so we also need to push them to adjust prices according to income levels. After all, it's in their interest too—it's better to sell more at lower prices than just a few copies. Especially since we're not paying for physical copies, just for maintaining servers and infrastructure. In fact, we don't even own these games; we're merely renting them.

[Knee]

Originally posted by Adamek:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Every company values their markets. And not all markets are equal, not all countries are equal in that. Some markets are much more interesting and valuable, so the focus is on that.

These lesser developed countries very often aren't moneymakers, so logically they have less priority than the countries where a constant and good revenue is coming from.

That's why we need to speak up and pressure Valve to do something about this. Big companies are talking about equality now, so we also need to push them to adjust prices according to income levels. After all, it's in their interest too—it's better to sell more at lower prices than just a few copies. Especially since we're not paying for physical copies, just for maintaining servers and infrastructure. In fact, we don't even own these games; we're merely renting them.

Or they don't have to maintain server infrastructure there at all if they feel it's too costly.

[Adamek]

Originally posted by Knee:

Originally posted by Adamek:

That's why we need to speak up and pressure Valve to do something about this. Big companies are talking about equality now, so we also need to push them to adjust prices according to income levels. After all, it's in their interest too—it's better to sell more at lower prices than just a few copies. Especially since we're not paying for physical copies, just for maintaining servers and infrastructure. In fact, we don't even own these games; we're merely renting them.

Or they don't have to maintain server infrastructure there at all if they feel it's too costly.

Of course they have to. Gaming companies love money, and producing games is slowly becoming a thing of the past for Valve. Sure, they made Deadlock and Half-Life: Alyx, but they are not the same company they used to be. They mainly earn from Steam, and even countries like Poland or others like Mongolia or Mozambique represent a significant profit worth investing in and maintaining infrastructure.

[Yujah]

Originally posted by Adamek:

But if it's such a problem, why doesn't Steam try to negotiate with the European Union to come up with a price that would be acceptable for each country?

Because it's non-negotiable. The European single market, i.e., guaranteed free movement of goods, capital, services and people could be said to be what the EU is.

Geo-blocking will as such always be against EU-law; no one could keep an e.g. German from buying a Steam-key in/through Poland, i.e. the lowest price inside of the EU ends up being the de facto standard price inside all of the EU. Solved for e.g. Valve/publishers only by making said lowest price be the highest EU-region regional price had EU-regional pricing been a thing.

Don't get me wrong. Not saying it's necessarily and for every individual EU-citizen a great experience; only that it's so utterly fundamental that it's just how it is...