Rate my idea about region locking plz.

[Tempest]

So the only reason that game producers lock games is to protect themselves from price differences and other shenanigans, unfortunately we don't really like that, as many games never get released here, so I had a thought "Why not just make the region lock a timed deal?" Basically after a set time (say a year or two) a games region lock will become voided, and that game can be played on any system (this would be done by updating your system from whatever online service it uses) However, if a company, say Xseed, says they want to localize a game then the region lock would be made permanent (unless of course they cancel said localization) As far as I can see it's a fair compromise between developers/publishers and fans.

So what do you guys think?

[perrandy]

So the only reason that game producers lock games is to protect themselves from price differences and other shenanigans, unfortunately we don't really like that, as many games never get released here, so I had a thought "Why not just make the region lock a timed deal?" Basically after a set time (say a year or two) a games region lock will become voided, and that game can be played on any system (this would be done by updating your system from whatever online service it uses) However, if a company, say Xseed, says they want to localize a game then the region lock would be made permanent (unless of course they cancel said localization) As far as I can see it's a fair compromise between developers/publishers and fans.

So what do you guys think?

good idea but i dont think that devs and publishers will be eager to implement something like this,tbh.

[Ivy]

People would break/hack/find a way around that lock so quick tho

[Shizuka]

How would they do that, through patches or software?

[Tempest]

People break/hack/find a way around regular region locks anyways, this would just help pacify those that "Only hack their systems cuz of teh region lock!"

[Tempest]

How would they do that, through patches or software?

I'm still trying to figure out how exactly this would be done tbh, I'm assuming the game just gets a patch though.

[Chaosblade]

They wouldn't be interested in doing it because it's too much effort for no real reward.

Region locks are pretty disgusting though. As someone else said at some point, publishers are more than happy to benefit from globalization and sell their games all over the world, but they don't want consumers to have that same benefit and allow them to buy games from anywhere.

[Terro]

It's such a tricky thing... I understand some reasons behind region locking... I mean, the more importing that happens, local companies can get in trouble, and then locals would have no choice BUT to import... This is the example of Europe importing from America. That's possible why the Persona thing happened. But... I can't think of a good solution which would have games, sold locally, in your language, globally. Because of licensing and whatnot... it's just a headache to even think about :/ But too bad... I wonder if one day Japan would just start to dub their own games, and force you to get them from the source, rather than having it licensed? Already, Studio Ghibli blu rays in Japan are getting subbed, knowing of the high demand for the titles, and the fact that blu is (usually) region-free.

[Chaosblade]

Importers make up such a miniscule amount of sales, they don't really make a difference.

Region locks exist for two reasons. The first is protecting the price (not value) of the product. Games have different prices all over the world, and in some regions the price is very low, especially eastern Europe. New, $50 PC games are usually around $10-$15 in Russia, for example.

The other reason is a bit more legitimate, licensing issues. But honestly, I'm not really sure that alone is a valid reason for a region lock. An American playing a Japanese game while circumventing the company that owns the rights locally should not be an issue, unless they're resorting to piracy in one way or another (for instance, using an officially localized script with the Japanese product). When a publisher licenses a product, they're licensing the product, not the exclusive right to sell to individuals in their region. If that were the case, importing licensed products would probably be illegal anyway, and the games/movies/shows/whatever would get stopped by customs.