Steam games soon more expensive? This is what this change in pricing policy at Valve could indicate.

Valve has announced the creation of a floor price for the sale of games and DLC on its platform.

This floor price, which is calculated on the US dollar and can therefore fluctuate for other currencies, does not only mean that certain games will now cost more. Because developers who do not meet the imposed thresholds simply risk seeing their games disappear from the Steam store until they take action.

What will change?

Valve recently updated the pricing terms that must be met in order to publish a game on Steam. In a note published on the platform’s website, the company announced that, from now on, all the games present on its platform must be put on sale for an amount equivalent to 0.99 dollars, and that transactions (in the event of promotion for example) could not be made below the equivalent of 0.49 dollars.

For developers based in the United States, no worries then, but the prices set in other countries can end up unintentionally below the minimum threshold in the event of fluctuations in the price of currencies. And in such a case, it’s simple: the game is no longer available for purchase in the area concerned until the price has been corrected.

Concretely, the studios which create triple A and other big budget games do not have to worry a priori, because even the fluctuation of currency rates should not make them go below this threshold, even if they will no longer be able to sell DLC below this price. Indie games, on the other hand, may have more to worry about. It also remains to be seen if the Bundles will still be available under this new formula. Furthermore, this change also has the potential to significantly affect free-to-play that relies on microtransactions.

Finally, Valve’s note does not mention free games, whose future on the platform is therefore uncertain.

Why such a change ?

Last October, Valve posted rate recommendations for developers to help them set their prices according to the different currencies used. But as the company itself acknowledges, these recommendations are already largely obsolete, with inflation being much higher in some countries. And above all, they were not imposed. This has the consequence of making games considerably cheaper from one geographical area to another.

And unsurprisingly, users have taken the opportunity to change their location in order to benefit from more advantageous prices thanks to the exchange rate. By setting a minimum price based on the dollar, Valve avoids this problem… but only for small games and DLC.

Sources: Engadget, Valve