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    WraithfighterJennings Brown
    12/06/19 6:48pm

    I’m trying to think what I’d do in Valve’s place here.

    Yeah, getting banned from China would have a pretty big impact on Steam’s revenue numbers, and at a time when they have to be seeing at least some impact from Epic Games Store poaching some exclusives, it’s going to make the C-suite sorts nervous about risking that loss of revenue.

    Moral high ground ain’t exactly well known for its profitability, after all.

    But on the other, they’re still new in China, they’re not a public corporation so they don’t need to worry about shareholders (at least, not as much), if anyone was going to take a stand, it’d be them.

    But on the other, other hand, they’ve also got to be worried about more than just being banned from China. What happens if EA, Activision, Ubisoft and such get told “If you want titles you’re associated with to be released in China, you can’t work with Steam, even outside of China”? How many of those major developers blinking and leaving Steam for Epic or their own launchers would it take to kneecap Valve?

    Just speaking as me, I’d probably go to the contacts in the Chinese Government and say “Look, we’ve had these games submitted, they don’t violate any of our policies as they’ve been written, unless you state that they are illegal. Tell us they are, and we’ll follow local laws and keep it out of China.” Make them say yes or no, don’t say no for them.

    But even then... it’s a dictatorial regime. Who knows what’s going to set them off?

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      WoshiernogWraithfighter
      12/06/19 9:41pm

      But I thought we had a dictatorial regime here in the US. It sounds far worse over in China.

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      WraithfighterWoshiernog
      12/06/19 9:53pm

      No, here in the US the powers at be are trying to make the US a Dictatorial Regime. The Constitution is still getting in their way.

      China’s past that whole phase.

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    sarusaJennings Brown
    12/06/19 5:37pm

    The short flippant answer is that everything that Valve has said about its approval processes in the last 10 years has been a lie. They’ve never been honest about it and have repeatedly violated their own stated policies. And so in this case.

    Though I do appreciate you specifically calling them out on this as the lying McLiarface liars they are, because it needs to be done.

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    errolstafforddJennings Brown
    12/06/19 5:28pm

    Why Won’t Steam Approve These Games Supporting Hong Kong Protestors?

    Illustration for article titled
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      Wraithfightererrolstaffordd
      12/06/19 6:32pm

      I dunno, the motivations are kinda tricky to discern...

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    amazingmeowJennings Brown
    12/06/19 9:52pm

    There’s literally a game on Steam about citizens storming Area 51 and getting shot dead by US soldiers.

    But apparently protest of tyrannical government is a no no for Steam.

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    Mud loves everyone except you. You suckJennings Brown
    12/06/19 9:14pm

    Why Won’t Steam Approve These Games Supporting Hong Kong Protestors?

    Because cannibals have a better moral compass than most company executives. 

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    LeonT, Kinja Ice Axed Me!Jennings Brown
    12/06/19 8:20pm

    Why? Money.

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      DripsLeonT, Kinja Ice Axed Me!
      12/06/19 9:07pm

      must be funny...

      Reply