Response from dev forum:

"As most of you know, our developer tools suggest pricing based on market research and purchasing power parity. In the case of territories such as Russia, Brazil, and SE Asia, we suggested pricing that is lower than the direct USD conversion. This is based on our assessment of actual pricing of comparable products in that market. Recently Rubles have hit an all-time low which has been a concern of many game developers. We are still assessing the market to see if suggesting new prices in Russia is right for customers who live in that market. We do not think that pricing based on currency conversion only is the right way to approach the Russian market necessarily.

What we are doing immediately in response to the Ruble drop is limiting trading and gifting from Russia to prevent people from taking advantage of the situation. We have been applying a gifting and trading lock of this type on all newly created packages on Steam since mid-2014. Today we have propped a change that will affect all packages on Steam which will not allow them to be unpacked to an account, if gifted or traded from a lower priced region to a higher priced region. This change is not retroactive and only affects new purchases. It also will not affect customers in that region from gifting a copy to other people in that same region. All customers will have proper warning when they are purchasing a gift prior to checkout in those regions as well. We will continue to assess the situation and make changes if necessary in the future. If you have any questions please feel free to write us via the contact form via the Steamworks Development site - Documentation & Help -> Contact Steam Publishing."

9 years ago*

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It's honestly about time. I'm so sorry that you can no longer make money selling other people's games or buy every game you want for half off, but RU is no more. All of the people taking advantage of regional price exploits forced Steam's hand.

9 years ago
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That means no cheap games for you too smart ass :)

9 years ago
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I don't steal money from developers by buying from Russians, so it doesn't effect me in the slightest. I'll still get plenty of good deals that the devs actually intended to give to people.

9 years ago
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+1 I don't abuse the system and don't think its right for Russian gamers to be able to make a ton of profit from doing trading like that and have all the games they could want. THANK YOU LORD GABEN!!!!!

9 years ago
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ye and now this russian people even QQ about. They get games sooo much cheaper but QQ when valve dont wanna give them even extra money on top.

seriously

9 years ago
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Cute. All Central and South America gets bundled with Brazil, yet only Brazil gets the cheap steam prices.

9 years ago
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Lets just stop buying games from steam store, and lets buy from retailers,i know steam wont give a serious fuck about that but i do feel better by doing it, also lets wait until GOG galaxy arrives.

9 years ago
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it arrived already, i've got client installed,

It just don't have many (almost non:) features now

9 years ago
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another reason to say "fuck Brazil"

9 years ago
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Yeah, let's blame Brazil for a valve's decision.

9 years ago
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Be happy - you can buy games from Brazilians ;)

9 years ago
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This is weird, when the peso got introduced in Mexico I thought it was going to affect all of the region but it seems that's not the case.

9 years ago
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fuck fuck fuck, and the Winter Sale was just around the corner

9 years ago
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surprise

9 years ago
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9 years ago
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What about the Russian gifts that people already have in their inventory? Will they be affected too?

9 years ago
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It isn't retroactively replied, but nothing they buy at this point is safe, only the old stuff.

9 years ago
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So, what we have in our inventory is safe? Only what is bought now is not safe?

9 years ago
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Yeah.

9 years ago
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no

9 years ago
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No, the lock is not retroactive. They are fine.

9 years ago
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Thanks, guys. I appreciate your fast and useful help. Anyway, this lock will greatly reduce the people that buy games from steam. We'll all use keyshops now.

9 years ago
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do keyshops actually have lower prices then steam sales? I've only seen them being lower then the base price, which isn't even close to a -75% sale.

9 years ago
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Greenmangaming often beats steam price even at sale time here in the UK, also many more sites that you can look into.

9 years ago
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yeah, am aware of gmg and other authorized key-sellers, thought he's talking about inofficial RU-keyshops or similar

9 years ago
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I guess we might soon be saying goodbye to some people on Steamgifts. I'm in some groups that have people from Russia and South America in them, this is going to make it considerably harder for them to participate as well as folk from anywhere who got their games for giveaways from traders. It'll be sad to see people go.

Edit: Maybe the future of Steamgifts will be groups or even seperate giveaways based on regions if at all possible (I know region-locked games are currently out of the equation).

9 years ago
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yep. i'm from brazil and i'm on TPGC. so long for that group, awesome ga's.

9 years ago
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Sad day, im from Mex so time to say bye to TPGC we cant gift non-bundle anymore

9 years ago
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you could buy keys from other retailers, just as a note

9 years ago
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keys have proven to be as safe as dynamite sticks in the pre-heated oven

9 years ago
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risk with authorized key-selling retailers is fairly low

9 years ago
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isn't it obvious that keys are in general a bad container for game-trading-reselling?

9 years ago
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it's good enough to make a GA here at least.., that's all what I was pointing out for locked out regions

9 years ago
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Until Gaben decides that keys are evil as well...

9 years ago
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sure, then it's completely over, but not yet

9 years ago
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Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me

COME TO AMEEEEERIIIIIIIICAAAAAA, AND YOU CAN TRADE ALL YOU WANT! Get over here, Russians! We're a little nicer to gay people; we have a McDonald's on every corner and a Starbucks right beside it; we have un-universal universal healthcare; we have really expensive colleges that the government will give you tens of thousands of dollars in loans for; we have American cheese, which is absolutely terrible; we have Hollywood; along with Hollywood comes BOTH Angelina Jolie AND Brad Pitt; we have Nickelback--oh wait, no, they're Canada's... Instead we have Miley Cyrus; and finally, we have Paul Bunyan. Oh, you don't know who he is because you're not American? Well, there's a little carrot for you. Come solve the mystery!

9 years ago
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+1

9 years ago
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alright.

9 years ago
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:) Okay!

9 years ago
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same in Turkey.

9 years ago
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which region are you grouped into?

9 years ago
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steam did not gave us a region yet :S the games i bought can only activate in Turkey. just one country.

9 years ago
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This is great 0_o Gaben must really need the money for this food. Does Steam not realize this is gonna hurt them more in the end. If this is permanent then steam gifts may have to restrict gifting games to people in that region rather than everyone having a chance. Ugh why why why why Gaben. Leave us alone and let us people do what we have always been doing. Someone doesn't apparently have the Christmas spirit this year. They are taking more than they should from the people

9 years ago
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they cant sell their "products" to so many people for nearly dead currency. Pleasy, try to think about it

9 years ago
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Funny side effect: previous purchases that had ACRTAG applied are now region free.

9 years ago
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Nope, only the tag is gone, they are still locked.

9 years ago
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Farewell SteamGifts. I am really disappointed with Valve.

9 years ago
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this

9 years ago
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+1

9 years ago
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no comment, just SHITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.
my business can't begin xD wp

9 years ago
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Today is a sad day :(

9 years ago
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m about to cry

9 years ago
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I wonder if they will end up changing this.

Sure they were losing some cash from people trading games, but now I would think that people will be much more willing to wait for big sales or just going straight to piracy. Maybe this will hurt Steam as a company more than it helps?

9 years ago
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Probably man, if so, they deserved it.

9 years ago
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i think it will profit them more, since steam has became a new lifestyle.. i mean its more cooler than pirating games, and you can also show it off.. beside other DRM's arent as promising as steam.. origin sucks dick and uplay just shit in the dessert

9 years ago
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Origin is great. They even allow you to use region changing software, won't threaten a ban, they just won't offer support for the purchased titles. So if you were silly and got a version without your language, not their problem, but you won't lose your account either.

9 years ago
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oh, that sounds interesting, do they have similar price differences like steam across regions?

9 years ago
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Regional pricing, but VPN or whatever it is fixes that easy. They just don't fix things if you buy one in French. :P

9 years ago
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I got that, but are for example BR or RU stores 30%-50% cheaper there too?

9 years ago
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yep. I got some games on there via vpn before from w/e region was having a sale.

9 years ago
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never thought that would ever happen, but seems I should check out the origin store then..

9 years ago
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hahahha i feel you man, its like Origin seems good now...

9 years ago
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That might change once they have a bigger market. I know it's only speculation but I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.

9 years ago
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I'd hope so but doubt it. General mass never traded and always bought directly, many people don't care/use (or even aware of) it that way like many here

9 years ago
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when higher priced region buy games in lower priced region its piracy anyway ...

9 years ago
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I think somewhere Gaben is sitting all high and mighty looking down on us on a golden toilet somewhere with a drumstick in his hand munching away happily while we are trying how to figure things out. Dammit Gaben

9 years ago
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have predicted this by observing the recent policies,
but did not expect this to happen this soon.
Oh well.

9 years ago
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Now only amazon exist

9 years ago
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what about bundle sites like Humble, groupees or things like that? are they restricting keys on there too?

9 years ago
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No. Mostly because they are being sold at US prices.

9 years ago
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Humble=euros=expensive(only bundles are good)

Groupees=shity lately with repeats and bad games

9 years ago
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actually their be mine and greenlights are containing only few repeats

9 years ago
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We all knew it was coming.

9 years ago
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It's about time, really. The culture of bargaining Steam games need to be reduced at least.

9 years ago
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Why?

9 years ago
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cus his rich

9 years ago
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-1 Its a good thing since it makes it fair. I don't like how Russian gamers can make money and get all the good games by trading them to other players. And if you want to blame someone blame Vladmir Putin for this since Valve wouldn't have an excuse to do this.

9 years ago
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it would have happened either way, maybe only a bit later...

9 years ago
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WHAT? Brazil has almost the same price as US and "Notice: Gift purchases for <insert game name> can only be added to the gift recipient's library if they are in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Belize, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, El Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela."
Volvo pls

9 years ago
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The Ruble is falling, so we're region-locking games bought from Brazil and South-East Asia.

???

9 years ago
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The inner workings of Gaben's mind are a scary place indeed...

9 years ago
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Its called an excuse. Blame it all on the Ruble, and hope people ignore all the other bullshit changes that have occurred this month.

9 years ago
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If they mess with product keys bought from sites like Amazon, I'm done with Steam.

9 years ago
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all US stuff (and more expensive like UK,EU) is most likely to stay unaffected

9 years ago
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I'm not mad gaben. I'm disappointed in you.

9 years ago
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Intra-regional trading from now on for me. Any reputable SEA traders can feel free to add me :)

Managed to ditch 7 keys for COD AW. Might leave some money behind for GTA V but I'm done with Steam.

9 years ago
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As a Russian: "Sorry for ruining your fun"

9 years ago
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hehehehehehe it was very funny tho.

9 years ago
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