NieR: Automata Review - Region Locked

Title: NieR: Automata

Developer: Platinum Games Inc.

Publisher: Square-Enix

Platforms: PS4, PC Steam(reviewed)

Release date:

Playstation 4

February 23, 2017 (JP)

March 7, 2017 (NA)

March 10, 2017 (PAL)

Microsoft Windows

March 17, 2017 (NA, PAL, JP, exclude rest of the Asia country)

Price: NTD 1950 (USD 63.9)

or US59.99 on Square-Enix's online store

Copy not purchased because region locked.

Purchase this video game has potential risk.

After Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance controversial region locked on SEA and some other country, people on internet jokes about Platinum Games cannot release good action game on PC, which I can't agree. The reason behind MGRR region locked, the easier way to make accusation, was put all the blame to Konami, and why the hell not. (Still, no one knows how or why did they do that)

Sometimes later, I heard Transformers: Devastation was doing pretty good, even though I didn't find any interest about it. But it debunked the urban legend about Platinum Games bad rep, at least.

What i don't believe is, Square-Enix wants to publish video game like Konami, release video games worldwide, forget rest of the Asia regions.

They are not so stupid enough to forget about Japan, but how the result comes pretty similar?

Well, official NieR PR twitter account has no respond about this issue:

And if you want to argue in comment section, please wait, next 2 pictures were captured from Steamdb:

The region which didn't have listed price, these are on the region locked list, part of it.

There's always some of the other country will get in the region locked situation like using Eurodollar country but blocked NieR: Automata for the political reasons or "grown-ups only problems".

And because the region lock, I take sometime to research on internet, and questioned:

"What is the cost, when one consumer tried to redeemed a video game's key on Steam, but the account's region is not on the white list?"

And I got three answers, all of them contradict each others.

1. You cannot redeemed the video game's key which is in the region locked list, even you paid the money to purchased it.
2. There's a thing called ROW(rest of the world) keys, where bought from the third-party sellers or distributors. ROW keys can be redeemed in Steam account with any region. In theory, customer who bought ROW keys have the right to do so, since they paid the money and get the product they want.
3. ROW keys has potential risks (stolen keys, or mass revoked by publisher...etc). Two situation make publisher revoke steam POW keys: the keys considered as stolen gift, or publisher just simply have the right to do so.

Now the argument goes on, Square-Enix Japan don't even said a word about rest of the Asia, and somehow pretend the PC version is not exist. And also customers who bought ROW version, when a new patch/update goes online, ROW game might be suspend and disable to play....

Sigh.

Why Square-Enix makes it unassailable to SEA region? If they don't have any idea to promote the game, abandon it? I don't even......

I mean, IT'S FUCKING 2017 RIGHT NOW!! Why region locked a game you called "World-wide release"?

I have enough of this business decision bullshit.

Score

0/10

Region Locked