Game UK - Why these guys are ruining your consumer experience on Steam in the UK. - Games

Or it points to those publishers deciding that's what they want to do in the UK. Game are wanting to sell Steam cards in store. Why would they prevent games being sold on Steam? That's very likely to make Valve not let them. Basically, this suggestion is completely at odds with the current Game strategy.

[QUOTE=rampageturke 2;32012834]Or you can get it from amazon/play.com for £7 cheaper[/QUOTE] In case you didn't notice, the game was previously unable to be preordered on Steam in the UK. When it's released, and the price goes back up for both Steam and Play.com, it will be cheaper on Steam(Original price on Play.com £44.99, Original price on Steam £39.99). Also, I'm not preordering the game.

[QUOTE=Diluted Dante;32013931]Or it points to those publishers deciding that's what they want to do in the UK. [/QUOTE] Except it also makes no sense for Publishers to limit availability of a PC title to retail stores only, especially when the Digital Distribution (steam) would probably generate way more sales.

[QUOTE=Diluted Dante;32013080]Teddi Orange, having read through this entire thread now, I'm not seeing any proof that Game are involved in this. Like at all. Where is your evidence? You've basically said these games aren't on Steam, so it must be Games fault.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/retail-threatens-steam-ban[/url] [url]http://www.computerandvideogames.com/308337/bullying-retailers-reject-steam-enabled-pc-games/[/url] While no names are mentioned, "Certain "bullying" UK retail chains" and "that a recent "command" from a major outlet/s", now this wouldn't be CEX, probably not Virgin (or whatever its named now), HMV is more music centric, the supermarkets diverse the only REAL big game shop out there is Game. Now unless you have any other ideas as to what other MAJOR retailers it could be lets hear them.

[QUOTE=Da_Maniac_;31990269]Same here in a plenty of stores, they STILL sell APB in discount baskets.[/QUOTE] My local walmart is still selling APB at full box price of 69.99

[QUOTE='[Solar]Inferno;32009565']I can preorder Skyrim on Steam now. Reduced to £34.99 from £39.99. Maybe it was a bug with Steam, or maybe it was something to do with GAME...[/QUOTE] £34.99 for a PC game?! What a steal!!

[QUOTE=RayvenQ;32019279]Except it also makes no sense for Publishers to limit availability of a PC title to retail stores only, especially when the Digital Distribution (steam) would probably generate way more sales.[/QUOTE] There's no probably about it, Steam is the largest source of income for PC games. No-one goes to the shops any more, they either buy it from Amazon or get it on steam if it's a Valve game.

[QUOTE=RayvenQ;32019279]Except it also makes no sense for Publishers to limit availability of a PC title to retail stores only, especially when the Digital Distribution (steam) would probably generate way more sales.[/QUOTE] That depends entirely on what deal they were offered by stores. Game had a huge amount of copies of Red Faction for example, on every format. If you're offered that, especially if it's on buy back, you might see it as being worth more at retail than download. [QUOTE=TempestWales;32019403][url]http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/retail-threatens-steam-ban[/url] [url]http://www.computerandvideogames.com/308337/bullying-retailers-reject-steam-enabled-pc-games/[/url] While no names are mentioned, "Certain "bullying" UK retail chains" and "that a recent "command" from a major outlet/s", now this wouldn't be CEX, probably not Virgin (or whatever its named now), HMV is more music centric, the supermarkets diverse the only REAL big game shop out there is Game. Now unless you have any other ideas as to what other MAJOR retailers it could be lets hear them.[/QUOTE] Except those links talk about something completely different. That's talking about not stocking games that come bundled with Steam. This is not the same as telling THQ they cannot sell their games on Steam. It's unrelated.

[QUOTE=MasterG;32020389]Wow £35 for Skyrim, what a ripoff. I can just get it for £25 from Amazon.[/QUOTE] £27... But yes.

[QUOTE=Diluted Dante;32023483]That depends entirely on what deal they were offered by stores. Game had a huge amount of copies of Red Faction for example, on every format. If you're offered that, especially if it's on buy back, you might see it as being worth more at retail than download. Except those links talk about something completely different. That's talking about not stocking games that come bundled with Steam. This is not the same as telling THQ they cannot sell their games on Steam. It's unrelated.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure what's happening now is the compromise to that situation. Retail stores wont care whether you tie the account to Steam, GFWL or any other system, or that there is community service attached to it, or even if there are no servers to actually play on, but it's all about shipping that code/disc in a box. Their complaint is that Steam makes it too easy for people to get a game, and they've done "deals" with some publishers to prevent games being easy to acquire on a DD, so yeah it is the same thing.

[QUOTE=aero1444;32010069]Yeah I noticed that too, I was pretty surprised that it's more expensive than sites like Play.com, usually steam is the cheapest. Seeing as it's a steamworks game, I won't buy it direct if it's cheaper from somewhere else.[/QUOTE] Play.com/Amazon.co.uk are nearly always cheaper..

Was doing something when I stumbled across this part of the treaty of the functioning of the EU. In either case, this would be definitely the illegal part from a standpoint of European law. Definitely 1e would point at something that could probably be pushed forward. Irregardly of European law, I am fairly certain the UK itself has similar laws. The problem with EU law is, that you would have find a connection between a limitation inside the UK and an effect on the market between member states. It has to have a European side for it to be applicable so to speak. That's why it's a lot better usually to either a) find a generic transposeable norm from the EU that is directed at member nations. b) Even better - find the norm in the legislature of the given nation. [quote] Article 101 (ex Article 81 TEC) 1. The following shall be prohibited as incompatible with the internal market: all agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which may affect trade between Member States and which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the internal market, and in particular those which: (a) directly or indirectly fix purchase or selling prices or any other trading conditions; (b) limit or control production, markets, technical development, or investment; (c) share markets or sources of supply; (d) apply dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage; (e) make the conclusion of contracts subject to acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such contracts. 2. Any agreements or decisions prohibited pursuant to this Article shall be automatically void. 3. The provisions of paragraph 1 may, however, be declared inapplicable in the case of: — any agreement or category of agreements between undertakings, — any decision or category of decisions by associations of undertakings, C 83/88 Official Journal of the European Union 30.3.2010 EN— any concerted practice or category of concerted practices, which contributes to improving the production or distribution of goods or to promoting technical or economic progress, while allowing consumers a fair share of the resulting benefit, and which does not: (a) impose on the undertakings concerned restrictions which are not indispensable to the attainment of these objectives; (b) afford such undertakings the possibility of eliminating competition in respect of a substantial part of the products in question. A [/quote] [QUOTE=aero1444;32010069]Yeah I noticed that too, I was pretty surprised that it's more expensive than sites like Play.com, usually steam is the cheapest. Seeing as it's a steamworks game, I won't buy it direct if it's cheaper from somewhere else.[/QUOTE] Well for me, not counting summer species and similar retail is virtually always cheaper than steam. And that by a pretty far margin. Since the average retail price here is about 37E

If someone in the UK can find a way to send money to me (other than Paypal, they're scammers) I'd be more than willing to buy these "censored" games for you. You'd have to pay for my sales tax (because I live in the one state in the US that needs it), but it's still probably a better deal than you buying it yourself a month later at higher prices.

[QUOTE=lavacano;32065336]If someone in the UK can find a way to send money to me (other than Paypal, they're scammers) I'd be more than willing to buy these "censored" games for you. You'd have to pay for my sales tax (because I live in the one state in the US that needs it), but it's still probably a better deal than you buying it yourself a month later at higher prices.[/QUOTE] How is paypal a scammer?

[QUOTE=mobrockers2;32065385]How is paypal a scammer?[/QUOTE] There's a load of stories about how they seize money in accounts if they can get away with it. Basically, as soon as they see "suspicious" activity, they'll freeze the account and grab all of the money in it, with the possibility of it not being given back. There have been quite a few cases of this (luckily, most got the cash back) - Richard Kyanka had it happen in 2005, what they did in 2010 in India also Markus Persson, Tortoise SVN's account, then there was the Wikileaks affair.

[QUOTE=Terminutter;32073103]There's a load of stories about how they seize money in accounts if they can get away with it. Basically, as soon as they see "suspicious" activity, they'll freeze the account and grab all of the money in it, with the possibility of it not being given back. There have been quite a few cases of this (luckily, most got the cash back) - Richard Kyanka had it happen in 2005, what they did in 2010 in India also Markus Persson, Tortoise SVN's account, then there was the Wikileaks affair.[/QUOTE] Yes, but that doesn't have anything to do with the 30-ish dollars that would be on his paypal account for that very short amount of time.

[QUOTE=TempestWales;32025387]I'm pretty sure what's happening now is the compromise to that situation. Retail stores wont care whether you tie the account to Steam, GFWL or any other system, or that there is community service attached to it, or even if there are no servers to actually play on, but it's all about shipping that code/disc in a box. Their complaint is that Steam makes it too easy for people to get a game, and they've done "deals" with some publishers to prevent games being easy to acquire on a DD, so yeah it is the same thing.[/QUOTE] You might be 'pretty sure', but this is based on no evidence whatsoever. Retailers don't like sales they don't get any money for is hardly a shock. Chips refused to stock the PSP Go for example, because they wouldn't see any money for game sales afterwards. The OP simply stated that Game were going this, and has nothing whatsoever to back it up with, other than a hunch. He [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQnd5ilKx2Y"]reckons[/URL] that it's Game responsible.

This thread is making me laugh, you guys sound like those 911 inside job guys trying to prove GAME is actively trying to fuck you over. Without any proof what so ever you blindly agree that that is what is going on.

Has anyone sold an Xbox to GAME recently?

I dunno, I kind of like GAME but I really hate it when retailers pull shit like this.

A typical business strategy as usual for [del]CUNT[/del] GAME. It'll be just like when various retail stores threatened Steam for having lower, fairer prices. Won't go down well, knowing courts will always support their domestic retail stores over online ones.

I avoid retail more and more lately. Still purchase boxed copies from GAME / Gamestation though seeing as prices often beat the price on digital distributors and every purchase I've done has arrived prior to the release date of the game. Unsure what to think of the topic of the thread but I guess I wouldn't put it past a company to do it as money is the only thing on their mind.

[QUOTE=certified;32081521]A typical business strategy as usual for [del]CUNT[/del] GAME. It'll be just like when various retail stores threatened Steam for having lower, fairer prices. Won't go down well, knowing courts will always support their domestic retail stores over online ones.[/QUOTE] so ~edgy~

[QUOTE=Pinut;32081687]I avoid retail more and more lately. Still purchase boxed copies from GAME / Gamestation though seeing as prices often beat the price on digital distributors and every purchase I've done has arrived prior to the release date of the game. Unsure what to think of the topic of the thread but I guess I wouldn't put it past a company to do it as money is the only thing on their mind.[/QUOTE] Don't know what your local Game is doing, mine is horrific. Mine has somewhere in the region of 10 different PC games on the shelves, with things like Medievil Total War (1) being sold for £10, and Starcraft 2 for £36 as opposed to Amazon's £25 And, as I said, they are still selling APB for £20 despite me informing them last year that the servers were taken down. (and now it's a crappy F2P by gamersfirst)

Just a small update regarding what I've been finding out and whatsnot. When it comes to [B]THQ[/B], Game UK aren't behind the withholding of games on Steam (or if they are they're brilliant at hiding :v:). As for Bethseda I have no clue.

[QUOTE=Teddi Orange;32197669]Just a small update regarding what I've been finding out and whatsnot. When it comes to [B]THQ[/B], Game UK aren't behind the withholding of games on Steam (or if they are they're brilliant at hiding :v:). As for Bethseda I have no clue.[/QUOTE] Well Skyrim's on Steam now...

I don't know about you guys, but I'll never actually go to GAME or any other specific video game retailer for as long as I live and so long as there's a choice. I can't see how who's behind this will actually benefit them.

[QUOTE=Smashman;32197898]Well Skyrim's on Steam now...[/QUOTE] It has been for a short while now.

Has anyone thought about contacting Watchdog or a consumer rights organisation? I don't think any of the companies involved are ever going to open up to the public so maybe if a big hitter got involved they might get some results.

Well, Space Marine isn't available from Steam UK like I said it would, but now no videos, nothing. [QUOTE=Teddi Orange;32197669]Just a small update regarding what I've been finding out and whatsnot. When it comes to [B]THQ[/B], Game UK aren't behind the withholding of games on Steam (or if they are they're brilliant at hiding :v:). As for Bethseda I have no clue.[/QUOTE] How do you know its not GAME? Show us what you've got?