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[plainr_]

Most importantly, portables should not have region locking. This needs to be written into law.

 

[semiconscious]

Because corporations like to enjoy the advantages of globalization while denying their customers the same benefits.

/ thread

 

[Corto]

You could also argue the opposite. I doubt that Atlus would have sold so many copies of Demon's Souls if it hadn't been for the great word of mouth from importers.

That's for sure. And that's the advantage of no regional locking. I much prefer that too.

 

[vodka-bull]

Because the world sucks and people are full of shit.

I second that.

 

[sixteen-bit]

so you can import a Japanese Xbox

 

[TL4E]

They do it so the super hardcore people who refuse to mod their region locked system import consoles from other regions in order to play foreign games, therefore netting them the most profit possible.

Spoiler

I don't know

 

[AndyD]

There's also music licensing. Some stuff is only licensed for a certain market or a certain time period. It's also one of the reasons they can't remake/rerelease a lot of older games on the new downloadable services.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

A bunch of bullshit reasons that ultimately boil down to legal and financial reasons for companies.

For the end consumer, it is nothing but negatives.

 

[Izayoi]

Because corporations like to enjoy the advantages of globalization while denying their customers the same benefits.

Yep.

Sorry Nintendo, but bring on the hacks. I want to play my Japanese games, and I sure as hell won't be buying a second console just to do so.

 

[Momo]

It's a worldwide plot to keep Reggie employed so we never miss his comedy gold

 

[M3d10n]

Yeah, Nintendo started doing that because of the parental controls and ratings across regions. I don't agree with it, but considering games like Dead or Alive are rated very differently between regions (and could actually be illegal in some countries) I understand.

Ratings have nothing to do with it. The DSi region locking was born the day Nintendo decided to sell downloadable games on it without any user registration. And since it was there, they couldn't resist to extending it to physical media as well.

Also, this has nothing to do with Japan. Obviously very few people outside Japan import Japanese games due to the language barrier. The "problem" is Europe. Since Nintendo lived several years with region locked consoles and region unlocked handhelds side-by-side, they might have noticed something in their balance sheets that moved them towards region locking.

 

[Mandoric]

I can understand EA region-locking major titles like FIFA, but I have no idea why Japanese developers of extremely niche titles which will never come out in the West, region-lock their games (xbox 360).

I've pretty much unlocked most of my consoles through mods (eg. NES, PCE) and adapters (eg. N64), and in some cases bought multiple consoles (eg. SNES, WII). Bit tedious to say the least.

Isn't Cave on record as saying that they need to pay twice for approval to release dual-coded titles?

 

[hamchan]

3DS region locking is going to screw me over when Atlas games don't make it over. Fuck Nintendo and their region locking. If the PSVita really is region free then Sony are kings. I've bought three times as many games as I would have thanks to the PS3 being region free.

 

[Aeana]

3DS region locking is going to screw me over when Atlas games don't make it over. Fuck Nintendo and their region locking. If the PSVita really is region free then Sony are kings. I've bought three times as many games as I would have thanks to the PS3 being region free.

Games developed by Atlus Japan shouldn't be a concern. Atlus USA will certainly continue to bring those (sans Growlanser).

 

[RurouniZel]

3DS region locking is going to screw me over when Atlas games don't make it over. Fuck Nintendo and their region locking. If the PSVita really is region free then Sony are kings. I've bought three times as many games as I would have thanks to the PS3 being region free.

Yep. 3DS is the first time I've ever actively looked forward to a system hopefully being hacked. Good job, Nintendo! >_<

 

[Kagari]

3DS region lock is really annoying after the DS being region free. Hoping the PSV region free statements stay true.

 

[hamchan]

Games developed by Atlus Japan shouldn't be a concern. Atlus USA will certainly continue to bring those (sans Growlanser).

I'm in PAL land ><

 

[Aeana]

I'm in PAL land ><

Oh. I'm so sorry.

 

[Raistlin]

This question has been bothering me in recent years, and I can't seem to find a sufficient explanation for it. Why does region-locking still exist? I mean, what exactly does it prevent? I'll tell you what it doesn't prevent; hacking.

It's because few publishers have world-wide reach (distribution, translation, etc). So games are typically published by different companies across the globe.

The issue then becomes if a ton of people are importing a given title, it no longer commands as much value as a license for a different region. A publisher won't pay for it (or as much) if they think a number of people may already have the game. Basically the owner of the IP loses money.

 

[Sophia]

3DS region lock is really annoying after the DS being region free. Hoping the PSV region free statements stay true.

PSVita being region free is big excuse for me, moreso if it gets some love from say.... Super Robot Wars.

Can't seem to trust Nintendo in regards to this anymore.

 

[BKK]

It's because few publishers have world-wide reach (distribution, translation, etc). So games are typically published by different companies across the globe.

The issue then becomes if a ton of people are importing a given title, it no longer commands as much value as a license for a different region. A publisher won't pay for it (or as much) if they think a number of people may already have the game. Basically the owner of the IP loses money.

Which would be offset by increased domestic sales to "the ton of people importing".

 

[Raistlin]

Which would be offset by increased domestic sales to "the ton of people importing".

I oversimplified the layers involved though. If you look at a game or a movie, there's a string of trademarks at the beginning - publishers, distributors, etc. So many times it's just not that simple.

Say for example, a publisher/distributor whatever pays a lump sum of money. Then the same thing happens in another region. If region A sees a ton of exports, then cool ... that publisher made out. That doesn't necessarily mean the creator saw an extra cut from that though. Then what happens when they go to offer it up to other regions? They are in a position of weakness as far as negotiations go. Publisher B states the truth - there is a base level of costs involved in bringing it out - translation, marketing, etc. However they're not sure how good sales will be since people have or can order it from somewhere else.

There are a million different scenarios and ways things are handled. It sucks, but there is a rational reason for it - even if I'd argue the actual number of units that get exported is relatively small (at least typically - some cases see decent amounts though). Unfortunately the possibility gets used to advantage during bargaining ... so that's why many industries continue to use such regions.