What to do?
If the game itself is not available to purchase in a region, users from that region are not supposed to enter giveaways of that game in the first place in my opinion, unless you specifically mention you can send a Steam gift copy to them. You should be fine with a warning message and most of the times people will notice it and support should grant you re-roll.
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If it can't be activated (which is different than can't be purchased) in a given region, putting this information in the GA description is not enough. Too many people don't read them, even forum folks. If you do it this way, you are rolling the dice and support may not grant a re-roll (I had this experience just a few months ago). Play it safe and make a region restricted GA.
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Oops :s
I've already created a giveaway for Postal 2, I'm not sure whether there's a censored version in Germany or if it's completely banned, but while browsing bundles I saw a few games which could only not be activated in one region.
I'll hope for the best this time seeing as it's too late, and restrict them next time.
Thanks for posting your experience.
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well, you may be in luck because it looks like there is only one package on Steam (if I understand SteamDB correctly of course):
https://steamdb.info/app/223470/subs/
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Actually the CD key sub for Postal 2 if bought from bundles is this one: https://steamdb.info/sub/17537/
no restrictions on activation so far.
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If a game appears on the index in Germany, it may be sold to 18+, but it might not be advertised for it. Therefore some stores doesn't even show it (Steam, resellers) by IP check. Other stores might be not willing or too lazy to set up an IP check and therefore write such comments into the description.
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For Postal 2 it doesn't appear in the German Steam storefront at all. The publisher also added locks to the store subs so they cannot be bought from German Steam store.
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It's because of this change: https://steamdb.info/sub/17915/history/?changeid=1994785
News related to this: https://www.neowin.net/news/27-games-get-pulled-from-steam-in-germany-likely-for-being-controversial
Ironic that I actually got a German gift copy of it.
] licenses_for_app 223470
License packageID 17915:
- State : Active( flags 512 ) - Purchased : Thu Nov 05 13:52:01 2015 in "DE", Guest Pass
- Apps : 223470, 298860, (2 in total)
- Depots : 223471, 223472, 223473, 223474, 223475, 223476, 223477, 223478, 223480, 298861, (10 in total)
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Avoid public giveaways like the plague, bots can't read descriptions, and according to the rules, you would need to send a correct key to the winner, or take a not received, and possibly lose the game anyway, as well as risking a report, if the winner isn't too nice.
Forum giveaways aren't too much safer either, as people tend to enter them without reading, the only difference being that they do it manually.
Invite-only giveaways in general could be leaked, so the best way would be to make a forum post searching for eligible people, then add them to a temporary group, or to your whitelist.
As a last resort, you could just trade the key with something else.
By the way, blame it on publishers for using such shitty region locks, their greed (or rather, their shareholders') knows no boundary.
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I really wish steamgifts would add, onto the region restriction 2 more modes. Mode one being, can be activated in ALL countries Except, and then you check off the ones it cannot be activated in. And likewise, a second mode, where it is "Can only be activated in", and you check off the countries that it can be activated in. There is the odd humble bundle, where you have to deal with the fact that it is not possible to activate in some countries.
One other thing I wish steamgifts would allow, is to view region restricted giveaways, and show a RED non-clickable button that says "region restricted", if you don't belong to region the GA is for.
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As per the title. For example Postal 2 can't be activated in Germany, but can be activated everywhere else. Is putting "can't be activated in Germany/country x" in the description enough? Or could somebody still mark it as not received if they win and are from the banned region?
I could just put the region lock for a region other than Germany, but it'd be a shame to lock out all the others that could activate it.
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