EU fines Valve and major game publishers for geo-blocking titles

Nearly two years after filing charges, the European Union is seeking recourse from Valve and other publishers for geo-blocking games. European Commission fined Valve, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and Bethesda, ZeniMax, total € 7.8 million (over $ 9.4 million) for restricting access to certain Steam games between EU countries. The move violated competition law prohibiting companies from restricting cross-border sales in the Union, officials said.

According to the Commission, there were various geo-blocking and “concerted practices” agreements between Valve and publishers from September 2010 to October 2015. Publishers saw their fines reduced by at least 10% for cooperating with regulators, but Valve faces a full penalty (over 1.6 million euros, or over $ 1.9 million) for fighting the charges.