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Price Adjustments for Activision Games in Multiple Steam Stores Following Microsoft's Acquisition (Confirmed in Brazil, Argentina, and Indonesia)

A few days after the completion of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the first significant change regarding the company's games has been implemented. Unfortunately, it may not sit well with some players.
Several Activision games on Steam, a popular PC gaming store, have experienced a considerable increase in their prices, with some nearly tripling in value. The reason for this price increase is unclear, and it is uncertain whether similar changes will be applied to other platforms, such as PlayStation, Nintendo, or even Xbox itself.
The new prices for some of the games are as follows:
  • Call of Duty (2003) – from R$ 34.90 to R$ 91.90
  • Call of Duty 2 – from R$ 34.90 to R$ 91.90
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops – from R$ 79.99 to R$ 184.00
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops II – from R$ 109.90 to R$ 274.00
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) – from R$ 34.99 to R$ 91.90
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) – from R$ 249.00 to R$ 274.00
  • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – from R$ 199.00 to R$ 274.00
  • Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time – from R$ 179.00 to R$ 184.00
  • Spyro Reignited Trilogy – from R$ 150.00 to R$ 184.00
  • Prototype – from R$ 34.99 to R$ 91.90
  • Prototype 2 – from R$ 79.99 to R$ 184.00
At present, it is known that these price increases have only occurred in the Brazilian version of Steam.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
A few days after the completion of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the first significant change regarding the company's games has been implemented. Unfortunately, it may not sit well with some players.
Several Activision games on Steam, a popular PC gaming store, have experienced a considerable increase in their prices, with some nearly tripling in value. The reason for this price increase is unclear, and it is uncertain whether similar changes will be applied to other platforms, such as PlayStation, Nintendo, or even Xbox itself.
The new prices for some of the games are as follows:
  • Call of Duty (2003) – from R$ 34.90 to R$ 91.90
  • Call of Duty 2 – from R$ 34.90 to R$ 91.90
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops – from R$ 79.99 to R$ 184.00
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops II – from R$ 109.90 to R$ 274.00
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) – from R$ 34.99 to R$ 91.90
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) – from R$ 249.00 to R$ 274.00
  • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – from R$ 199.00 to R$ 274.00
  • Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time – from R$ 179.00 to R$ 184.00
  • Spyro Reignited Trilogy – from R$ 150.00 to R$ 184.00
  • Prototype – from R$ 34.99 to R$ 91.90
  • Prototype 2 – from R$ 79.99 to R$ 184.00
At present, it is known that these price increases have only occurred in the Brazilian version of Steam.
A game that is 270 R$ is about $55 US.

Game companies have been amping up all those crazy dirt cheap South American pricing.

I always knew based on old game mags from the 80s and 90s that US, Canada, UK, Japan prices are pretty close when converted. But when the net came about and people posted Steam prices of stuff in Brazil and Argentina and a $70 US game would be like $12 US. Insane.
 
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ReBurn

Gold Member
Season 3 Nbc GIF by The Office
 

Perrott

Member
Back in June I paid $679,60 Argentine Pesos for Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Zombies Chronicles Deluxe (base game + season pass + standalone zombies expansion).

Now that game is listed for $40.000,00 Pesos. And that's without an additional 80% in taxes that we are charged in every purchase made on digital storefronts.

Completely out of touch with the financial reality of our country. What's even the point of regional prices then?
 

Eotheod

Member
Wouldn't something like price changes in a particular area be prepared earlier than the inking of an acquisition? Just seems more like poor timing then Microsoft's telling.
 
Back in June I paid $679,60 Argentine Pesos for Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Zombies Chronicles Deluxe (base game + season pass + standalone zombies expansion).

Now that game is listed for $40.000,00 Pesos. And that's without an additional 80% in taxes that we are charged in every purchase made on digital storefronts.

Completely out of touch with the financial reality of our country. What's even the point of regional prices then?
You're saying it went from 2 eur to 110 eur?
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Yeah as soon as they inked the deal their first priority was increasing the price of decades old games in Brazil.
"We're letting Brazilians buy Prototype for WHAT?!!!, send a helicopter for Bobby now, we are bleeding dozens of dollars a month with these deals"
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
Call of Duty games always had laughable prices. Fucking CoD on PS Vita that no one cares about is still like 60 bucks on PS Store.

10+ year old games like Ghosts and Advanced Warfare still have day 1 prices, even though no one has been maintaining those games for equally as long and all of them are malware infested hellholes. Activision can shove them up Boby Kotick's ass.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Alright, now that we have the "lol M$" out of our system, here's the real answer as to why the regional prices are being increased for various games:


What I can say is that we saw a huge increase in sales in your countries last year, but no increase in the number of players. Something like 85% of sales coming "from Argentina and Turkey" seem to be coming from people playing in other countries - people who are chasing the lowest possible price on Steam. This is apparently a widespread problem on Steam, which is why Steam is recommending an especially large increase in your regional prices.


They increased the prices in Argentina and Brazil thusly:



CountryOriginal priceUpdated pricePercent increase
Turkish Lira₺2,10₺11,00424%
Argentine PesoARS$ 13,99ARS$ 82,00486%
Brazilian RealR$ 2,29R$ 3,4952%
 
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ReBurn

Gold Member
Yeah as soon as they inked the deal their first priority was increasing the price of decades old games in Brazil.
"We're letting Brazilians buy Prototype for WHAT?!!!, send a helicopter for Bobby now, we are bleeding dozens of dollars a month with these deals"
And to think, some poor gamer in Brazil has been working tirelessly their entire life and finally saved enough money to buy those decades old games today. Imagine their sadness in learning that they suddenly can't afford them. It's just so wrong!

 
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Kilau

Member
Alright, now that we have the "lol M$" out of our system, here's the real answer as to why the regional prices are being increased for various games:





They increased the prices in Argentina and Brazil thusly:



CountryOriginal priceUpdated pricePercent increase
Turkish Lira₺2,10₺11,00424%
Argentine PesoARS$ 13,99ARS$ 82,00486%
Brazilian RealR$ 2,29R$ 3,4952%
Shame that greedy people ruined it for the gamers there. I guess VPNs can’t be detected and blocked? I’ve only ever used other region stores for games that were only available there or for free stuff.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Consolidation is good.
It's pro-consumer.


Y'all getting angry at the wrong mega-corp for this one.


 
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X-Wing

Member
Y'all getting angry at the wrong mega-corp for this one.



That's a 2022 article.
Also:
It is worth noting that developers and publishers are free to decide what prices to set for their games in different countries. Valve just offers its recommendations.


It's just easier to push people to the Windows Store and to Gamepass if the prices on the other stores are higher. Poor countries are a good place to start.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
That's a 2022 article.
Also:

developers and publishers are free to decide what prices to set for their games in different countries

It's just easier to push people to the Windows Store and to Gamepass if the prices on the other stores are higher. Poor countries are a good place to start.


Well of course they are, but this trend of developers and publishers increasing regional prices because gaijin's like us have been abusing VPN's has been happening for a while and publishers are changing prices appropriately.

Hell, even I am complicit as my go-to for people getting cheap game pass involves using Turkish VPN.
 
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midnightAI

Member
Step one, buy as much as you can.

Step two, increase prices across the board.

Step three, GP becomes an even better and more obvious deal as a result.

Step four.... profit.
She sells seashells on a seashore
But the value of these shells will fall
Due to the laws of supply and demand
No one wants to buy shells 'cause there's loads on the sand
Step one, you must create a sense of scarcity
Shells will sell much better if the people think they're rare, you see
Bear with me, take as many shells as you can find and hide 'em
On an island stockpile 'em high until they're rarer than a diamond
Step two, you gotta make the people think that they want 'em
Really want 'em, really fuckin' want 'em, hit 'em like Bronson
Influencers, product placement, featured prime time entertainment
If you haven't got a shell then you're just a fucking wasteman
Three, it's monopoly, invest inside some property
Start a corporation, make a logo, do it properly
"Shells must sell", that will be your new philosophy
Swallow all your morals, they're a poor man's quality
Four, expand, expand, expand
Clear forest, make land, fresh blood on hand
Five, why just shells?
Why limit your self? She sells seashells, sell oil as well!
Six, guns, sell stocks, sell diamonds
Sell rocks, sell water to a fish, sell the time to a clock
Seven, press on the gas, take your foot off the brakes
Run to be the president of the United States
Eight, big smile mate, big wave that's great
Now the truth is overrated, tell lies out the gate
Nine, polarise the people, controversy is the game
It don't matter if they hate you if they all say your name
Ten, the world is yours
Step out on a stage to a round of applause
You're a liar, a cheat, a devil, a whore
And you sell seashells on the seashore
 
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