Valve has been implementing a number of changes to its desktop gaming platform Steam in recent months, changing everything from the layout to the way it does pricing. Now, Steam is updating its Minimum Price guidelines which could have a negative impact on developers and players in many countries.
Steam detailed the changes last night in a blog post on its website, stating that the minimum price threshold of $0.99 will remain, but certain currencies that have fallen out of the line will be impacted and may see games delisted in those regions. Steam gives examples of games at different price points, saying that if a game’s discount lowers it below the $0.99 price, it won’t be purchasable in that currency.
While there will likely be a number of players affected by this, developers located where the currency is less valuable than the U.S. Dollar will be hurt the most. Without a better option, they’ll either need to launch on another platform or raise the price of the game beyond what they wanted to. This could change for any number of currencies too as markets fluctuate.
This will affect those in many countries not in the major areas in the EU, NA, and Asia, with many users having to pay more in local currency for games. This will also mean that games will cost more on average, with certain sales and bundles of multiple games at low prices likely no longer being available.
This could also lead to more piracy of games due to the increased prices, but this is just speculation until we see how this change will affect the PC gaming industry.
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