The European Commission is apparently investigating Valve's sales practices. One of the things being analysed is why some games are not allowed in certain contries (I'm sure this is of interest to our german friends among others of course).
The article: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-201_en.htm

I think they do that for anything that appears big. Of course, they leaves Apple alone.

Good news for me as well. They implemented the refund policy worldwide, even though it was induced by European laws, so the same may happen this time.

Skimming through it, to me it appeared they were most concerned of regional pricing within EU, meaning that they feel the price should be the same in all EU countries. Ok, I don't have a strict opinion on that, I guess it would mean there wouldn't be the two or three different "EU prices" anymore. I'm fine with that, in principle I am against regional pricing anyway (even though in practise it doesn't affect my willingness to buy games; I buy games on prices that I feel comfortable with, waiting for sales if needed).

I seriously hope it is not about the German blocks, because how would that be solved anyway? Germany is silly with its "boohoo can't show swastikas nor nazis in the game"-hysteria, and the game publishers are playing it safe by not selling such games to Germans.

If EU commission starts demanding that Germany may not be treated differently there from other EU countries, most likely what it would mean is that the same games would be blocked from all EU countries, not just Germany. So the German nazi-hysteria problem would become an EU-wide problem, which is definitely something I don't want.

Let's hope instead it means they get rid of those silly swastika laws so german gamers have access to the same uncensored games as the rest of us.

It's about games from some publishers purchased in EU country 1 not activatable in EU country 2:

"GabeN for prison 2017"!!!

Just like; "Hillary for prison 2016"!!!

Wheee!!!

Go GOG!!!

Is there anything they dont investigate? I cannot fathom a more bureaucratic organization.

Why would Germans do that (considering they don't seem to try to change them already now)?

That's one of my fears with EU: negative German traits (like the one mentioned above) becoming EU wide, because EU integration you knows and every EU member state must have the same laws and practises and shit.

Sadly, it was a failure. It's also very off-topic.

LOL.

Yes, but the quoted part seems to concentrate on the price difference. So in practise it would mean Steam (and GOG etc.) and the publishers using their services might be forced to have one EU wide pricing. As said, I don't have a strong opinion on that, fine by me if they do.

But, if this is also extended to e.g. it being wrong from some games being geo-blocked from e.g. Germans, because some game has swastikas... then I fear that is bad news to other EU countries. Suddenly that "swastika ban" (and other similar German-specific bans, e.g. many violent games are apparently harder to sell there) would become EU wide. Phuck it.

Not in the slightest. European Commission never has and never will, investigate, NGOs and George Sorros. It's literally, the one and only thing they don't deal with. Answering to the question "Is there anything the European Commission doesn't investigate", was what i did. I just expanded a little bit on it, like, thoroughly. Half measure are no measures.

doesn't sound like it's about offering the same product everywhere (especially if it's banned in a country). That even is more in the vein that different price are allowed (when the talk was about single market and videos for the same price last year, the commission seemed to back down under the pressure from producers etc), but keys which have been purchased in the EU must be unlockable everywhere in the EU.