Borderlands 2 Russian Edition is Region-Locked

[Krantos]

On the one hand, kind of a dick move.

On the other, they're offering refunds... That's unusual for publishers to do with something like this. Generally the response is "To bad, you should have read the EULA."

So, you know, props for them trying to make it (kind of) right.

 

[MetalMagpie]

It turns that anyone with a Russian IP address who buys the game from Steam is given, unsurprisingly, a Russian version of the game. The thing is, the Russian version of the game is notably inferior to those of other regions, and users in the aforementioned Commonwealth countries are often assigned Russian IP addresses.

OT: Sounds like a bit of behind-the-scenes-shenanigans went on. Releasing a software product to multiple countries can be a tale of sadness and woe (based on my experience anyway). Whatever the complication was with Russia, this doesn't sound like an especially good way of dealing with it. Hopefully it'll get sorted out a little bit better once the release madness is done.

It's not an pseudo-Russian IP issue. All those countries are included in the list of countries that receive the alternate restricted version, it's not just Russia or Russian IPs.

The full list of RU-version-restricted countries, straight from Steam:
RU AM AZ BY GE KZ KG MD TJ TM UZ UA LV LT EE

If your IP is in Russia or Latvia or Estonia or Ukraine or Uzbekistan, etc., you get the restricted version. In all those countries the official distributor is 1C, so they probably just said that 1C gets THIS version and no other, so all those countries are getting it.

Shenanigans indeed. I hadn't looked any further into the issue - just read the article.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

This sucks pretty bad. Region locking might be a necessary evil, but not when it gives you the wrong language and an inferior game. Not cool. Glad they're refunding.

im not sure how anybody at 2k could not see that coming, that is region lockig a game and forving people to play n a language they do not understand, this has to have been a mistake, nobody could honestly think this is a good idea.

Publishers don't give a flying shit about the products they sell, which is why they make mistakes like this. This is also why development companies strive for the 'indie' status.

 

[OldNewNewOld]

Yes I get that - Russian version can only play with Russian versions. That's not a case of the game being notably inferior is it? - It's not like Russia is somehow getting a degraded product, it's more that it's limited... Limits which could be addressed in future.
If I have 2 iPads, and one is Wifi, and one is 3G - is the Wifi one notably inferior?
Know what I mean? - I think it's a bad choice of words is all.

The problem is that a big part of east Europe will be getting the Russian version, whilst most of them don't even speak Russian. Isn't a game that forces you to play in a language that you don't speak an inferior game? Especially a game that requires you to understand it in order to play it.

 

[Woodsey]

So what the hell does 'Notably inferior' actually mean?

The writer doesn't go into any detail about why the Russian version would be inferior to everyone elses. Is the Russian version bugged?, worse graphics?, no sound?, ironic?, WTF?!

This article, is notably inferior in the field of actual facts, but then this post is notably inferior compared to the other posts, so I'm off to have a notably inferior cup of coffee and see if I can't wrap my head around it. Notably inferior? - well fucking NOTE the inferior aspects. Region locking is not a degredation of product.

Unless he's edited the article since, the notable inferiority comes from there being one language to choose from and only being able to play with people in the same region. I don't know about you, but if I was only sold a version of the game that was exclusively in French when I live in England, I would consider it inferior to versions that had multiple languages.

Plus, a lot of people have co op buddies who live all over the world. Restricting who you can play with is just obnoxious.

 

[Arina Love]

you don't give us what we want we will take it anyway through other means. eff you 2K.

Thats precisely the reason why the Russian version is region locked is because of thieves like you.

Nope, majority of people will not pirate if they receive quality service, people will pirate because they get fucked with.
and where in my post i wrote that i will pirate this game. learn to read honey.

Of course all bank robbers are poeple who didn't get an overdraft and all burglars are people complaining about the noise. If you are not happy with customer service you don't get to steal from a bank or shop, why its ok to steal a game? If you don't like don't buy it, anything else means your just a plain old simple thief.

Theft = is the taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. There is no theft in file sharing, because nothing is stolen, act of pirating a game falls under copyright infringement. Anyway like it or not this game gonna be pirated by those who deem it morally accessible, as for me : i don't give a damn about this boring number/loot game.

 

[Woot835]

, and i can bet that the same goes for any other part of the countries that are in close proximity to Russia(i hear Estonia have a nice amount of Russian speakers

The only problem with that is: Most of the older population speaks Russian, The younger ones (AKA people that actully play video games) are mostly rather bad at even talking basic sentences at it. I do not think My dad or my Grandpa will take this game up.

But I sure hope the Retail copy will not force me to play a BS language that I will never learn.

 

[Realitycrash]

At least they are offering refunds. That's kinds nice...Right?

 

[jetriot]

Since when do people in Russia and Eastern Europe buy actual copies of a game? The 5 people there that don't pirate or buy cheap pirated software will be truly crushed by this news. Unless, the region has changed since I lived there 5 years ago, of course.

 

[Arina Love]

Since when do people in Russia and Eastern Europe buy actual copies of a game? The 5 people there that don't pirate or buy cheap pirated software will be truly crushed by this news. Unless, the region has changed since I lived there 5 years ago, of course.

It changed. Because new pc games cost less than 5 years ago for example i bought DVD version of witcher 2 on release day for 699 rub (22.85 USD) basically there is no need for common folk to pirate PC games anymore because you can easily afford it and release dates are close or on day with EU releases. Console piracy is rampant as ever though.

 

[DonTsetsi]

Since when do people in Russia and Eastern Europe buy actual copies of a game? The 5 people there that don't pirate or buy cheap pirated software will be truly crushed by this news. Unless, the region has changed since I lived there 5 years ago, of course.

You know that Eastern Europe is composed of different countries, right? Because the standard of living is different in all of them. I'm in one of the poorest, but buying a game isn't a huge expense in some of the others. Also, I'm not in the Russian region, I have the privilege of buying games for 50-60 EURO... or, you know, not buying them and playing LOL and TF2.

 

[kasperbbs]

They should perhaps have kept the region-locking to where you can use and activate it, and not who you can play with. I can understand that you don't want people importing/steamgifting cheap Russian copies that have been regionally priced to mirror the situation in Russia, especially when they live in a country that can afford the original price. But potentially not being able to play with my eastern european/russian friends is a bit of a bummer.

On the matter of price.
How much Borderland2 costs in US and western Europe?
It costs 49.99Eur (65.5 USD) here
Is it cheaper?

Dunno where you're from (it said Antarctica), but here in Norway the price on Steam is 49.99?. Retail is roughly the same price.
I just figured the prices were lower in the CIS region due to the high piracy rate. Through my recent journeys to Lithuania, Belarus and Russia I've mostly just encountered cheap pirate copies instead of proper retail copies in stores. To compete with that you have to offer a lower price and provide other "bonuses" like online play and DLC.

Pirated copies in stores in Lithuania? Really? I don't know what kind of back alley you were visiting but you wont find pirated stuff in our stores.

OT: I'm glad that i decided not to buy borlerlands, i don't speak Russian and i don't even like Russians all that much, well mostly online. The worst thing is that there was no info about this, you pay the full price and basically get a cheap knockoff, a few of my friends who preordered it are torrenting the game and getting refunds, i can't really blame them.

 

[Frostbite3789]

you don't give us what we want we will take it anyway through other means. eff you 2K.

Thats precisely the reason why the Russian version is region locked is because of thieves like you.

Nope, majority of people will not pirate if they receive quality service, people will pirate because they get fucked with.
and where in my post i wrote that i will pirate this game. learn to read honey.

One: No. People will pirate anyways.
Two: You implied it. You said 'we' which includes yourself.

 

[superpele]

As a Latvian citizen myself, I can say to all of you how stupid and insulting this whole fiasco feels to me. Some people here were correct - younger generation doesn't speak russian or speaks poorly.

But there's another hook - for example, in Latvia, tension between russian speaking and latvian speaking community is really high, both groups having alienated with each other. So releasing a game, only in one language, russian, to a country with already stiff situation, a country which fought for it's independence from USSR 20 years ago, this is just spitting in its face.

Also:
*no chance to play outside our Iron Curtain (it's sad that we still have one, obviously) with rest of the world
*paying 50 euros for a localised version, sold in retail for 15 euros
*inconsistencies and delayed DLCs
*screwed up players who doesn't know russian
*the best part - awful localisation. Ask any russian player - localised games from publisher 1C are not only awful, they're hideous, dumb down atrocities.
*lying (not giving info) about the product. On the store page was no info about Russian version when I preordered

This is just awful. My first pre-order experience, and such a letdown. Well, 2K, no XCOM preorder (or bought copy) from me - who knows what will you do there to screw me again.

EDIT: also, maybe here piracy is bigger than in EU or US, but cases like these just endorse it, not stop.

 

[Little Gray]

Publishers don't give a flying shit about the products they sell, which is why they make mistakes like this. This is also why development companies strive for the 'indie' status.

This is just awful. My first pre-order experience, and such a letdown. Well, 2K, no XCOM preorder (or bought copy) from me - who knows what will you do there to screw me again.

EDIT: also, maybe here piracy is bigger than in EU or US, but cases like these just endorse it, not stop.

When do publishers will learn?

To actually be accurate you should be asking when will STEAM learn. STEAM is classifying countries these countries as Russia and only giving them access to the Russian steam store. This is why they are getting the Russian copy of borderlands. Once a game is finished all the copies would then be given to steam. It is now STEAMS responsibility to make sure that they give the correct people the correct copies.

This is extremely apparent because if you actually read the article you would know that this only effects digital copies. The physical copies that 2k was responsible for were the proper ones. Only Russia got the Russian copies and all the other countries got the international ones.

It really sucks when companies like STEAM fuck over all these people and 2K has to take all the blame and loss of revenue.



Yes the game being region locked and the Russian copy only being is Russian is annoying but that is not the real issue at hand.

 

[andrewi31]

"the Ukraine"? Way to stay classy Escapist. Sink to 2k's level why don't you?

 

[Dandark]

That's...really hopeless, I feel for the Russians. Having seen first hand what region locking can do to a game (Armored Core V), I think it's a practice that belongs where other things you don't like belong, and can see no reason apart from profit and possibly lag to do it.

^^ This

Region locking completely destroyed any chance of me enjoying Armored core V and made me feel like i'd been swindled out of my money. This sucks for all those affected by this stupidity and I hope they fix it soon. Region locking will always be a bad idea and I will dislike any game that does it. There goes any chance of me buying Borderlands 2 or it's DLC.

 

[Halceon]

Good news, everyone!

I just checked my steam page for Borderlands 2 and it says "If you purchased Borderlands 2 in Latvia, you will receive two versions of the game in your library at launch. Both versions are playable for you, but cannot be gifted."

So, Go (s)team!