Steam payment HUGE price increase!

[polyphonica]

[...] I'd like to see them indeed start moving less "half-assedly" towards true regional pricing. [...]

Well, specifics of how they get there aside, I agree with what you're saying in general. I think that's a worthy goal, even though it'll be a long road to get there.

Basically it allows us to crystallize the story so far:

1) Generally speaking, the whole world pays FFXIV subscription and Optional Item prices that are aligned to the baseline/official currency prices in USD, EUR, GBP and JPY. When you purchase directly from Square Enix, you will pay in one of the official currencies at the going market exchange rate.

2) If you buy the game through Steam, you have the option to pay via Steam Wallet. Steam Wallet uses regional pricing to convert to various global currencies; these prices are set by Square Enix. In most countries of the world, the prices are roughly equivalent to what you would pay in one of the official currencies.

3) However, in BR and RU, the prices in Steam were not aligned to the base currencies. If you converted these local market prices to USD/EUR, Steam customers in these two countries were able to subscribe and purchase optional items cheaper (in the case of RU, significantly cheaper) than customers outside of Steam or in other countries. This difference appears to have been caused in part by currency fluctuations, since the ratio had not been changed in nearly 5 years, despite major currency devaluation in these markets.

4) As a result of the lower Steam prices in those markets, FFXIV gained new customers who otherwise would not have been able to afford the game. They were subscribing at the seemingly-fixed local rates set through Steam Wallet, rather than the official price.

4b) Some customers, however, also discovered that they could buy optional items from the Mogstation using Steam Wallet's local market pricing, and trade them to players in other markets. This is something you can no longer do directly in Steam, but was not forbidden by Square Enix's technical systems.

5) On Tuesday, 18 July, without any specific prior warning or notification, Square Enix adjusted the currency-specific rates in Steam for RU and BR customers to bring them into closer alignment with current currency exchange rates. The resulting increase in some cases nearly doubled (BR) or more-than-tripled (RU) the monthly subscription fees. Although the new fees are more closely aligned to the prices in USD/EUR/etc., they are much higher than going market rates for other competing MMORPGs, such as World of Warcraft (which officially supports regional pricing). Customers who have existing subscription agreements in Steam will continue to get the prior rate until they renew.

5b) The FFXIV User Agreement does state that 30-days notice would be provided for subscription fee changes, however it only refers to the official prices on the FFXIV website, which did not change.

6) For many players, this sudden increase will mean they can no longer play the game, as it is priced way beyond their local market's purchasing power. In addition, this unannounced change comes on right on the heels of a major expansion; many customers would not have purchased the expansion if they had known in advance that the Steam prices would undergo such a large change. They are also no longer eligible to get a refund for the game and/or expansion, despite no longer being able to afford to keep playing due to this regional pricing change.


The concerns are:

- Why was Square Enix unable to provide 30-days notice prior to the adjustment of local market pricing in Steam?
- Is there any recourse for customers who purchased the expansion under the pretense of Steam's previous local currency rate, and now find themselves unable to afford the new Steam price?
- Will Square Enix implement an official regional pricing model that keeps the game accessible in markets (like RU and BR, among others) with less purchasing power?


(I'm not sure it was really necessary to summarize the whole thing... but maybe it will help someone better understand what's going on.)