Brink unavailability on Steam UK and DLC

(Ghostdog) #1

There have been multiple threads like this one in the Steam forums re the mysterious unavailability of Brink on Steam UK. None seem to have any answers from Valve, Bethesda or Splash Damage.

I actually preordered and preloaded Brink via Steam UK, and have been able to play it…so far. However my concern is that I will not be able access the DLC due to whatever shennanigans are going on between Valve, Bethesda and SD. Worryingly, when I tried to view the game guide from the Steam menu, Steam threw up an error stating ‘This item is currently unavailable in your region’ - am I going to get the same problem with the DLC?

I’m posting this here due to the lack of any response to the threads on the Steam forums from Valve et al. Hoping for some kind of clarification from SD.

(Singh400) #2

Would like an answer on this too.

(Protector) #3

Agreed, SD need to make it clear why Brink has been removed from steam… I heard through the grapevine steam recieved so many complaints about Brink that they removed it but I just can’t see this being true.

(Petrolbomb_Tom) #4

To be honest I would not be surprised if the reason why you can’t buy this on steam in the Uk is due to the fact there is a good case in UK law to get a refund for this game and steam don’t want the hassle so are not listing it.

(shadyadi) #5

I had a look around when it came out, out of boredom and discovered that you can purchase it from game.co.uk’s website digitally, they just give you a steam code. Since the US steam store still sells it I guess Game managed to get some sort of exclusivity on it?
Although why SD were quiet about it is weird.

Surely the extra content will just be in the form of an update for the game, therefore anyone who already has it will just get the content? /speculation

(abjectblitz) #6

I would love to hear the story behind it but I’m sure SD have been gagged by Bethesda to keep shtum.

(Ghostdog) #7

Then it wouldn’t make any sense for it being removed in the UK only. More likely some kind of deal with UK retailers (including digital ones) to keep Steam out of the competition imo.

But illustrates the point that leaving an information vacuum allows all sorts of crazy rumors to be spread through ‘the grapevine’. Have seen posts by some people in the UK who have been afraid to buy the game from any retailer in case they have problems with Steam activation - so it seems this lack of reliable information could actually be damaging UK sales overall.

While I understand that Valve/Bethesda/SD may have very good reasons for keeping schtum on the Steam issue (such as a NDA perhaps), would really appreciate some kind of assurance that those in the UK who have already bought through Steam won’t get shafted on the DLC.

(Nexusdog) #8

Same here, this is atrocious customer support and impacting on the reputations of all involved.

Very, very disappointing.

(dazman76) #9

You know, I hadn’t even considered that problem, until you mentioned it :slight_smile: A very good point indeed. I’ve never seen this happen to a game on Steam before - it’s pretty odd to say the least.

(Nexusdog) #10

Interesting development. My gf is Dutch and on Steam Brink costs €49.99, in the high street, it’s €59.99. Considering you can pick it up here in the UK for £18.99, there’s certainly the potential for resale or gifting at a massive discount.

Personally I like Brink a lot, but it’s not down to that, it’s become a question of what is the worth of this product, why the huge variations in prices and really, why would anyone pay that price when they can see it being sold at a fraction of the cost in other countries.

On a side note, I can’t help but feel this makes a case for the absolute need for demo’s & public betas; open stress testing is far better than post release patching disasters of this scale and trying to firefight the damage already done.

(engiebenjy) #11

I agree, it makes sense - this really isn’t for SD to deal with

(Protector) #12

A friend of mine bought his from D2D UK and it activated just fine so I really don’t understand what is going on…

(Ghostdog) #13

I hadn’t either, until someone raised it in the Steam thread I referred to.

As a matter of interest, do you know what happens if he selects the Downloadable Content menu option in-game?

(Esso) #14

It is now available i n UK, sadly hardly anyone playes it