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Why region lock exist?
- Thread starter LeleSocho
- Start date
Pureauthor
Member
Because console (and software) developers want to enjoy the benefits of globalization while denying the same benefits to consumers.
And price control.
Azure Phoenix
Member
Don't let companies trick you into thinking it is to stop piracy (i.e. Nintendo), it's just so they can keep total control over how people acquire their games.
zerokoolpsx
Member
Control pricing of the games.
Because if people from region A buy games in region B they are not buying the game in region A.
Thefore the publishing arm in region A has one less sale to show for while region B has a surplus of sale.
Globally they are compared to each other and region A will be asked why they performed worse than region B.
That's the explanation that you will get if you ask a publisher. If you ask other people it's because region specific prices.
People will just buy the Russian version of a game for 30% of the asking price in for example Europe.
Thefore the publishing arm in region A has one less sale to show for while region B has a surplus of sale.
Globally they are compared to each other and region A will be asked why they performed worse than region B.
That's the explanation that you will get if you ask a publisher. If you ask other people it's because region specific prices.
People will just buy the Russian version of a game for 30% of the asking price in for example Europe.
BassForever
Member
The same reason all locks exist, to be broken into
michaelius
Banned
Protection of expensive markets from cheape copies from other regions.
Stricly anti-consumer.
Stricly anti-consumer.
Don't Sony still block people importing hardware into the EU though?
ShockingAlberto
Member
Bottom lines, basically.
It helps get accurate numbers for regions, controls the marketing, the digital schedule, the fees, etc.
It provides very few consumer benefits, but gives companies ways to control their products by regions.
Some third parties are oddly big fans of it.
It helps get accurate numbers for regions, controls the marketing, the digital schedule, the fees, etc.
It provides very few consumer benefits, but gives companies ways to control their products by regions.
Some third parties are oddly big fans of it.
H_Prestige
Banned
Money. It's always about the money.
djplaeskool
Member
Edit: Fact-check'd
ShockingAlberto
Member
Yeah. There is a litigation angle here, as well.
Azure Phoenix
Member
No, that was only the PSP. Problem is that taking down Lik Sang made a lot of importers panic, last time I checked Play Asia still won't send Sony stuff to Europe so as to avoid any retaliation. Nintendo did a similar thing regarding Animal Crossing for the Gamecube as well, but nobody paid any attention to them.
When Sony first blocked imports for psp, it was nothing to do with EU regulations. It was another form of price control.
I'm just curious as to whether that process continues today.
alf717
Member
djplaeskool
Member
Ah, I stand corrected
It was because the PSP wasn't available in the UK yet, and they were exporting units from other regions.
Definitely price and product control.
As far as I know, there really hasn't been any action taken since then in that form.
R_thanatos
Member
Region lock should die ..i can understand ...no wait i don't
i wouldn't have bought nearly that much games if i couldn't choose the version i want to play
if you want to prevent abuse , just do what sony did for infamous 1 and you'll be fine ..
European owner , proud to own Jap , Hk and us version of the games i want to play ..
Region locking should die and i won't buy a 3ds untill i can bypass that bulls**t one way or another
i wouldn't have bought nearly that much games if i couldn't choose the version i want to play
if you want to prevent abuse , just do what sony did for infamous 1 and you'll be fine ..
European owner , proud to own Jap , Hk and us version of the games i want to play ..
Region locking should die and i won't buy a 3ds untill i can bypass that bulls**t one way or another
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
To stop people in region A from importing cheap games from region B, more or less.
honeymustardn
Member
This doesn't really make sense. Say if Nintendo refuse to release a game in Europe, how can they tell from that if Europe likes the game? Or any other region liking the game, for that matter?
OldJadedGamer
Banned
DLC is region locked.
djplaeskool
Member
I pine for the day we get more universal DLC.
You are right, but a sale is a sale and it works in the opposite way too. I'm sure Namco Bandai is not complaining about a bunch of foreigners buying their ultra expensive SRW games.
And at the end of the day, what is the real scale of this? I really doubt we are talking of significant numbers to justify pissing your costumers to no end.
R_thanatos
Member
it's part of the online and is a valid escuse ... you're entitled to present the content from your region when you want a dlc you want it in your language , right ?
And nothing prevents you from making another region account
It's a problem with the seller not me the buyer ..and not everyone buy from US , Some people import from Europe when no exclusive things exist for said anime for a long time..
In the end that's just an escuse.
Why shouldn't be allowed to buy and play gundam versus if i live ( example : in luxembourg ) .. Answer : no reason
This is the crux of it. Globalisation is fine until customers can play too, in which case artificial barriers are erected, like region locking.
I hope all next-gen consoles are region free because otherwise I couldn't be able to play games like NCAA Football or MLB The Show that don't have an European release.
I still find it strange that it was Sony that took a smart decision and forced region free games on their console.
1) Create a PSN account from that region
2) Buy PSN card from ebay or retailer
3) Buy DLC
4) Play the DLC with ANY account (even an account from a different region).
It takes a little time to do (~30mins) but I would say it's 10000000x better than not being able to play a game just because it's region locked.
I still find it strange that it was Sony that took a smart decision and forced region free games on their console.
1) Create a PSN account from that region
2) Buy PSN card from ebay or retailer
3) Buy DLC
4) Play the DLC with ANY account (even an account from a different region).
It takes a little time to do (~30mins) but I would say it's 10000000x better than not being able to play a game just because it's region locked.
It's not region locked. I can buy and use any DLC that I want, but with a Japanese account.
It´s still silly and non practical, but at least there is the chance.
Region lock is region lock.
Region locking existed before mandatory game ratings.
Non region locked games exist (well, PC and handhelds) after universal mandatory game ratings.
H_Prestige
Banned
I can download and run Japanese DLC on my North American Playstation 3 hardware. So no, it isn't locked.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Which makes online passes region locked.
radioheadrule83
Banned
thread title made me think "how is babby formed"
Its about the retail distribution chain, and the co-ordination and control of regional business.
For arguments sake lets say you buy a game in the UK:
all get a cut - in Euros, Dollars, Yen or whatever other denomination.
Before you bought that game, the retailer spent money buying in stock, paying the distributor, the publisher made a projection of local sales and produced <x> number of copies for sale to retailers, and invested <y> euro/dollars/yen in marketing... maybe the manufacturer also weighed in on marketing efforts.
All of that activity employs people in a given region or locality. Region blocking is about protecting that... it's also about scheduling. Because of localisation efforts, global releases aren't as common as we'd like - therefore release dates vary, and the variables around release windows vary. You would imagine that Activision Europe would concern themselves greatly with EA Europe's plans for their big FPS games for example.
In addition to all of that, it can be about protecting a fiscal plan too. 40 is not the same thing as $40. Maybe they need that money from Europe in the next financial year and not the current one. Maybe they are looking at the markets and feel the return will better effect the balance sheet later on after x,y,z happens in the industry or the wider market...
Someone else mentioned licensing issues around anime -- the same thing applies with film franchises. Trademarks, copyrights and brands all need to be considered in the different regions.
There would be a certain burden of beaurocracy in ensuring and allowing region free globalised releases as well. The software industry is largely regulation free because it is seen to regulate itself through bodies like the ESRB and PEGI. If you allow these bodies to be flouted and circumvented, you could potentially embolden those who would seek to regulate the industry more tightly.
They don't do it just to fuck with enthusiasts. That's just an unhappy side effect.
Its about the retail distribution chain, and the co-ordination and control of regional business.
For arguments sake lets say you buy a game in the UK:
- The retailer
- The haulage and distribution companies that delivered the games to the retailer
- The regional dept of the publishing house, and their PR firms / contractors
- The regional dept of the manufacturer (ie. Nint/Sony/MS)
all get a cut - in Euros, Dollars, Yen or whatever other denomination.
Before you bought that game, the retailer spent money buying in stock, paying the distributor, the publisher made a projection of local sales and produced <x> number of copies for sale to retailers, and invested <y> euro/dollars/yen in marketing... maybe the manufacturer also weighed in on marketing efforts.
All of that activity employs people in a given region or locality. Region blocking is about protecting that... it's also about scheduling. Because of localisation efforts, global releases aren't as common as we'd like - therefore release dates vary, and the variables around release windows vary. You would imagine that Activision Europe would concern themselves greatly with EA Europe's plans for their big FPS games for example.
In addition to all of that, it can be about protecting a fiscal plan too. 40 is not the same thing as $40. Maybe they need that money from Europe in the next financial year and not the current one. Maybe they are looking at the markets and feel the return will better effect the balance sheet later on after x,y,z happens in the industry or the wider market...
Someone else mentioned licensing issues around anime -- the same thing applies with film franchises. Trademarks, copyrights and brands all need to be considered in the different regions.
There would be a certain burden of beaurocracy in ensuring and allowing region free globalised releases as well. The software industry is largely regulation free because it is seen to regulate itself through bodies like the ESRB and PEGI. If you allow these bodies to be flouted and circumvented, you could potentially embolden those who would seek to regulate the industry more tightly.
They don't do it just to fuck with enthusiasts. That's just an unhappy side effect.
R_thanatos
Member
Not all online passes are .
I play Uncharted 3 Online on a EU account , with a disc Us version and a online pass activated on a Us account ...
This explanation only works when a title is going to be released worldwide .
What about My Titles from japan that i have next to no chance being distributed or localised in europe or USA? ( Super robo taisen , gundam VS , project diva , Many Tales of games ..and the list can get very long )
What about all those game localised in USA , but nobody will publishing them in europe ...Just Because ... i won't penalize anyone in europe ( game stocks for example ) when i buy my games in another country when it has no chance to be localised ..
That was true of the original Sniper Elite. MC2 Publishing in Europe, Namco in the US. That did cause extra difficulties trying to keep the two versions in sync when the publishers were working at different rates (including one moment where we had to pull it from MC2 at the last minute because Namco wanted some changes); had the versions been different, we couldn't have had international online play.
No. You just have to redeem the online pass with an account from the same region of the game. After that you can use any account on your console to play online.