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[jshackles]

From the English translation server:

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[The Hamburglar]

China doesn't deserve steam.

 

[Senhua]

I really hope Steam International access still available in mainland and Steam China only for Multiplayer Esport games.
Because if it's truly blocked:
1. Second biggest market on Steam International (based on Valve research) will gone

2. Which make most of Japanese and Chinese made games (the one Chinese like ie: MHW, Three kingdom, Anime and Martial Arts Cultivation games) massively dropped in revenue

3. In the end: will massively decrease the availability of PC port Japanese and Chinese games in the future AKA back to Console only (for Japanese games) and Steam China only (for Chinese games)

I truly hope above scenario would not ever happen.

 

[Sentenza]

I thought they already launched it a year ago.

 

[celsowmbr]

CCP limited edition?

 

[funkygunther]

Here comes the money

 

[Sentenza]

Here comes the money

I mean, they were already getting a lot of money from Chinese customers for years.
This is supposed to be the safenet/contingent plan to avoid having their service outlawed randomly in the near future.

And frankly it's better for everyone: so they can have their law-abiding stuff confined on the Chinese store while not having to match China's requirements for censorship on the main one.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

CCP limited edition?

Of course, but if it takes off, we're all going to be affected. Negatively.

 

[BigBooper]

I wonder if this means Valve will move to China. Don't the companies that operate there have to be Chinese?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

And frankly it's better for everyone: so they can have their law-abiding stuff confined on the Chinese store while not having to match China's requirements for censorship on the main one.

That would be ideal, but I doubt it will happen in most cases. The reality is that censorship will be incorporated during the initial development.

 

[Sentenza]

Of course, but if it takes off, we're all going to be affected. Negatively.

?
No, we aren't?
They are separating Steam China from the old version precisely to NOT affect the rest of it.

That would be ideal, but I doubt it will happen in most cases. The reality is that censorship will be incorporated during the initial development.

That's a different topic altogether and it's more a case-by-case basis depending of the individual developers.

I wonder if this means Valve will move to China. Don't the companies that operate there have to be Chinese?

Nah, they need to have a Chinese company as a partner, though.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

?
No, we aren't?
They are separating Steam China from the old version precisely to NOT affect the rest of it.

No. They are separating Steam China from the global version because they have to. They can't release it unless they do so.

Developers who want to target China will of course have to make special versions for China that will be approved by the Censorship Bureau, but if the China market becomes big enough, it will become too inefficient to build a global version first and then make adjustments to it for the China version. The China version's design will become the base from which the global versions are made. You already see this with a lot of mobile games.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I wonder if this means Valve will move to China. Don't the companies that operate there have to be Chinese?

You need a local Chinese company to operate your business in China, yes. It looks like Perfect World (their partner for DOTA 2) will be their local Chinese partner that operates Steam and owns the majority of the business in China.

 

[Sentenza]

No. They are separating Steam China from the global version because they have to. They can't release it unless they do so.

?
They are separating Steam China from the global version only because there's the impending risk looming on them for the last few years that at any moment China could decide to make "foreigner" services outlawed in the country.
That's literally the only reason Steam China is happening, and this was already known for the last two-three years at least.

This whole thing is basically an "anti-ban" safe net.

 

[Captain Toad]

Great. Now, Valve can be the next company to bow to the demands of our Chinese overlords.

First order of business, remove any association with Winnie the Pooh off of Steam.