For example, take the price of RE9: Requiem (Deluxe) in comparison to major currencies and notice that it costs LESS than from the Western world: (Why is that the case?)
| Country | Local Currency | in USD | in GBP | in EUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | ¥9,990 | $62.85 | £46.80 | 53,75€ |
| South Korea | ₩91,800 | $61.90 | £46.30 | 53,15€ |
| China | ¥398 | $58.30 | £43.30 | 49,70€ |
| India | ₹4799 | $51.70 | £38.50 | 44,20€ |
| Kazakhstan | 29,100₸ | $60.95 | £45.30 | 52,15€ |
| Philippines | ₱3490 | $58.40 | £43.50 | 49,95€ |
| Indonesia | Rp 1039000 | $60.80 | £45.30 | 52,00€ |
| Vietnam | 1690000₫ | $64.40 | £48.00 | 55,10€ |
Now take the exact same game in “Western” money, it costs even MORE :
| US | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|
| $79.99 | £69.99 | 79,99€ |
Like, why is it so expensive? I would say the US one costs more as sales tax isn’t accounted for (until checkout) on their store front while VAT is included on both UK & EU store fronts via steam.
Here is Valve explaining how regional pricing works and a guide they give developers to price their games accordingly. Anyway, in most cases the answer is simple: Those countries or regions have a lower income.
https://partner.steamgames.com/pricing/explorer