Border Patrol
Following an investigation by the European Commission, a selection of publishers were fined € 7.8 million (or about $ 9.4 million) for allegations of geo-blocking practices.
In an official statement from the Commission, it was decided that Capcom, Bandai Namco, ZeniMax, Koch Media, Focus Home Interactive and the owner of Steam, Valve violated the antitrust laws by steaming steam for more than 100 titles between 2010 and 2010 to close. 2015. The relevant titles were rendered unusable outside the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and thus violated the Commission’s internal market policy.
“These business practices have deprived European consumers of the benefits of the EU’s digital single market by searching among Member States to find the best deal,” the Commission’s official findings read. “The Commission has concluded that the illegal practices of Valve and the five publishers divided the EEA market in breach of EU antitrust rules.”
The fines for each publisher are adjusted for the collaboration each company receives. Most of the publishers mentioned saw a reduction in their fine. Valve – who allegedly would not cooperate in the investigation – was eventually fined € 1.6 million (approximately $ 2.9 million USD). Valve has since told Eurogamer that it done works with the Commission and intends to appeal against the ruling. Focus Home Interactive received the heaviest fine, even € 2.8 million EUR (approximately $ 3.4 million USD) with a reduction.
“More than 50% of all Europeans play video games,” said European Commission CEO Margrethe Vestager. “The video game industry in Europe is booming and is now worth more than € 17 billion. Today’s sanctions against Valve’s geo-blocking practices and five PC video games serve as a reminder that according to EU competition law, businesses “to restrict cross-border sales contractually. Such practices deprive European consumers of the benefits of the EU’s digital market and the opportunity to look at the most suitable offer in the EU.”
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