Steam purchase during Lockdown?

[NodeCore]

Quick question - does anyone know if Game purchases form part of the lockdown restrictions?

I bought a few games (previously released titles) no problem, however I bought a new game (scheduled to be released today) and got the following message after purchase;

“XCOM: Chimera Squad is not currently rated in South Africa and so cannot be downloaded at this time. We are currently working to address this and anticipate that the game will be available in the near future. “

 

[r4nd0m]

Looks more like a rating problem than a lockdown problem, though granted lack thereof could be attributed to the lockdown.

I think it's these guys who do the rating: https://www.fpb.org.za/

 

[genetic]

Quick question - does anyone know if Game purchases form part of the lockdown restrictions?

I bought a few games (previously released titles) no problem, however I bought a new game (scheduled to be released today) and got the following message after purchase;

“XCOM: Chimera Squad is not currently rated in South Africa and so cannot be downloaded at this time. We are currently working to address this and anticipate that the game will be available in the near future. “View attachment 828039

Lol, thanks for the laugh. Lokdown isn't the reason why you can't buy online games.

It's a region thing. Not all games are available to all regions due to licensing agreements. Same goes with film and TV. It has always been that way since the invention of games.

Steam is not licensed to sell that game in SA. Another service most likely holds the rights.

Use a VPN if you want to get around the restrictions.

 

[L-Dog]

Apparently Bheki Cele said online gaming is banned for now...

 

[Fulcrum29]

Weird, I have no issues with the game on Steam.

EDIT:

The message displays now. I can't play start the game anymore. This is silly BS.

 

[Fulcrum29]

 

[Fulcrum29]

I see the devs added it in a note,

A NOTE TO OUR SOUTH AFRICAN CUSTOMERS

XCOM: Chimera Squad is not currently rated in South Africa and so cannot be downloaded at this time. We’re working quickly to address this and anticipate that the game will be available for download in the near future.

this game was installable and playable at launch, so what has changed?

 

[Fulcrum29]

Lol, thanks for the laugh. Lokdown isn't the reason why you can't buy online games.

It's a region thing. Not all games are available to all regions due to licensing agreements. Same goes with film and TV. It has always been that way since the invention of games.

Steam is not licensed to sell that game in SA. Another service most likely holds the rights.

Use a VPN if you want to get around the restrictions.

Steam have hurdled that process a bit, you can't do so continuously without being penalised with a two-week cooldown, and doing so repeatedly they will suspend your account on which you need to provide evidence to Steam that you have travelled between two countries at that time. They put the same mechanisms in place with accounts which are library sharing.

 

[ponder]

What happens if you use a vpn?

 

[Fulcrum29]

Sorry gang, South Africa is going to have to wait a little longer for XCOM: Chimera Squad to launch

According to the game’s Steam page, a delay in the game’s classification has unfortunately pushed the local release date back a few days.

www.criticalhit.net

Sorry gang, South Africa is going to have to wait a little longer for XCOM: Chimera Squad to launch

The announcement of XCOM: Chimera Squad took the world by surprise. It seems like one of the few high profile games that wasn’t leaked a month before it was announced and considering how beloved and well-regarded the XCOM franchise is, that seems like a miracle in and of itself. Chimera Squad is bringing a whole host of new gameplay additions and enhancements to deliver what looks to be an experience that’s both comfortably familiar but different enough to feel fresh. While the rest of the world can either confirm or deny whether that’s the case, we in South Africa will have to wait a few more days to get our hands on the latest XCOM game because it has unfortunately, not been rated yet.

We discovered the confusion this morning when looking up the game on Steam. Right below the usual banners for trailers and screenshots, you’ll notice a big, menacing warning:

This product is not currently available in your region. XCOM: Chimera Squad is not currently rated in South Africa. We’re working quickly to address this and anticipate that the game will be available in the near future.

Now, we have absolutely no idea why this could be the case, although there does appear to be a backlog at the Film and Publications Board currently. We’ll give you three guesses why.

We reached out to our local distributor for 2K Games to try and figure out when we can expect the rating process to be complete and were told that Chimera Squad should be rated by 28 April, which will give you enough time to still grab the game during its discounted first week.

Sorry everyone, you’ll just have to wait in line for a few days while the rest of the world enjoys the new XCOM.

 

[Fulcrum29]

What happens if you use a vpn?

You need to change your billing region. **** that, I don't want to test out a cooldown.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Come to think about this, say the FPB withdraws their title rating(s) then Steam will suspend your agreement with the licence holder. This is stupid.

The government can decide tomorrow that no citizen may have access to their rights on Steam. Yes, you may ultimately change your region, but this is a real concern and many titles have regional rights which may void your agreement under such a decision. I actually need to read the 2K agreements.

 

[Herr der Verboten]

Why not get it from someone else

Deals

Current prices for video games from authorized stores

isthereanydeal.com

And/or download the game via the steam's console if it doesn't download in a normal way?

Steam :: Steam Community

steamcommunity.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/611h5e

 

[Fulcrum29]

Why not get it from someone else

Deals

Current prices for video games from authorized stores

isthereanydeal.com

And/or download the game via the steam's console if it doesn't download in a normal way?

Steam :: Steam Community

steamcommunity.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/611h5e

They have disabled the SA region due to the title being unrated. It only applies to us. The game is available everywhere else. You need to have a non-SA regional Steam account to be able to launch the game at this time.

Things like this which encourages piracy, nè FPB?

I am glad I preordered Cyberpunk 2077 on GOG than on Steam. Something tells me that this is going to happen again. It will be quicker to wait on FitGirl than waiting on access in SA.

 

[Herr der Verboten]

They have disabled the SA region due to the title being unrated. It only applies to us. The game is available everywhere else. You need to have a non-SA regional Steam account to be able to launch the game at this time.

Things like this which encourages piracy, nè FPB?

I am glad I preordered Cyberpunk 2077 on GOG than on Steam. Something tells me that this is going to happen again. It will be quicker to wait on FitGirl than waiting on access in SA.

I already got that from the OP and first few pics. However...

Have you tried the console/depo downloader? I've done this with a few titles to get previous versions not dependant on a download button.

 

[Fulcrum29]

I already got that from the OP and first few pics. However...

Have you tried the console/depo downloader? I've done this with a few titles to get previous versions not dependant on a download button.

How are you going to launch the game with Steam DRM?

 

[Herr der Verboten]

How are you going to launch the game with Steam DRM?

It uses the steam drm?

Clearly you've not done this before.

What happens is it will create another directory for the version you download. Then it runs as if the latest one would run. DRM is of course intact...

 

[Herr der Verboten]

I'm just curious if this would work, but no way I can test it as it will just say "hey you've got no valid lic for that"

 

[Herr der Verboten]

e.g. for Dusk which I own

download_depot <appid> <depotid> [<target manifestid>] [<delta manifestid>] [<depot flags filter>] : download a single depot]

which is (from below pics): download_depot 519860 519861 5550596208630088004







Finally it goes to your default steamlib as

..\Steam\steamapps\content\app_519860\depot_519861\Dusk_Data

 

[Fulcrum29]

It uses the steam drm?

Clearly you've not done this before.

What happens is it will create another directory for the version you download. Then it runs as if the latest one would run. DRM is of course intact...

Steam DRM exists with Steamworks integration, hence there are bypassers like SmartSteam and other Steam emulators.

You can't launch the game at the moment. Force the download, yes, but it isn't going to launch the title without Steam.