Valve, Steam game store, is appealing against a ruling by the European Commission. The Commission blamed Valve and five game publishers back in April for actively geo-blocking. Blocking games to regions can drive up prices in certain parts of the EU and globe.

Due to geo-blocking, games via Steam the games bought for say a Russia region (often 20 bucks cheaper) are not playable in a country other than where the games were purchased. The European Commission stated that six companies made it impossible for consumers to play a game bought abroad in their own country. That is against European competition rules.

Of the six companies, only Valve challenges the decision. The other companies would settle with the EU. These are Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax. The European Commission can impose a fine of up to 10 percent of worldwide revenue if it appears that publishers have broken the rules.

In April, let Valve know that games through penalties can be costly in poorer countries. "Publishers are likely to raise prices in the regions concerned because cheaper codes can then be sent to other countries at no extra cost."

Valve appeals to EU sanctions for geo-blocking