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Comment by haunter | Hacker News Reader

Steam used to have (until 2016) a two tier regonal pricing in the EU (EU1 and EU2) but they had to stop it because it was discrimination that people in Sweden paid more for a game than people in Bulgaria. Now everyone in the EU pays the same as people in Sweden. And of course games haven't become cheaper either

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There would be similar pushback if Steam started selling games for cheaper in Greenville, Alabama vs New York City. Plenty of regions in the USA have way worse economic disparity than the two you have highlighted. The point of being a single economic/political bloc is to be able to negotiate collectively and work towards a balance.

I don't think it'd be illegal in the case of the US though.

Eh you'd be surprised. GDP per capita in Bulgaria in 2024 was just $17,412 compared to $57,723 in Sweden (331% increase) while GDP per capita in Alabama was $61,846 compared to $116,883 in New York (189% increase). America's a lot more socioeconomically homogeneous compared to the EU due to Federal spending and a more integrated economy.

>America's a lot more socioeconomically homogeneous compared to the EU

Well also the fact that America is a single country with a shared history.

> Eh you'd be surprised. GDP per capita in Bulgaria in 2024 was just $17,412 compared to $57,723 in Sweden (331% increase) while GDP per capita in Alabama was $61,846 compared to $116,883 in New York (189% increase). America's a lot more socioeconomically homogeneous compared to the EU due to Federal spending and a more integrated economy.

Using GDP as your _only_ metric, it does look that way.

Why do you feel that GDP is repetitive of the average citizens purchasing power for entertainment?

No, it’s because resellers would buy 50,000 Latvian keys and then sell them to people from rich countries.

Huh? Steam does have regional pricing. And they didn't update the suggested conversions for years, so they are rather outdated by now due to exchange rate changes.

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