Why Some Games (or any) Are Region Restricted/Locked??

[KatoShuu]

Is it because of server capacity?
If so, how about console games? One of my PS3 games was region locked for the US (forgot the title), so I had to search google to edit its code


Edit: Shadow of Mordor (if i' not mistaken) is region locked

 

[Xzayer]

Some companies/developers think that due to cultural/historical differences there might be a lack of interest for a particular game.

In reality there’s a lot of reasons but money plays a major factor.

 

[Yatsuki]

@KatoShuu
As far as I know and understand, many reasons actually.

Legal reasons, like the distributor doesn't have the rights to sell in certain countries. Or that the content of the game is prohibited in some countries.

Price difference. Same game could be $5 in one country but $15 in another more developed country. So to prevent people from buying at cheaper price some game disk/consoles are region-locked.

Distributor doesn't want to sell to some countries because of the high piracy rate.

I'm sure there are more reasons

 

[KatoShuu]

@Xzayer
Some companies/developers think that due to cultural/historical differences there might be a lack of interest for a particular game.

@Yatsuki
Legal reasons, like the distributor doesn't have the rights to sell in certain countries. Or that the content of the game is prohibited in some countries.

Do they have to pass certain laws and regulations on certain regions? Do they have to have the same believe/views as the goverments'? If they don't, will they be banned/restricted?

 

[Holo]

Not entirely down to China.

When stuff from Japan get localised for America, sometimes things get censored too, so it goes both ways.

 

[negavamas]

Honestly blaming region locking to China when this generation has the least region locked games is just stretching it too far, they might be locked in China due to that, but the region lock doesn't extent to the US or Europe. If anything Germany is the main reason many games are altered or censored in Europe.

 

[Yatsuki]

@KatoShuu Yes to all of your question. Each country has different laws and limits when it comes to entertainment (games included) though. China is famous for its high censorship rate and sensitivity to "slanders" to its gov or its leader, true, but other countries also have similar practices. Another example: Vietnam, Onmyouji is banned (the distributor is fined too if I remember correctly) in VN because it promotes China's claim over VN's territory. Or Manhunt is banned in New Zealand because of the violence. Or the famous R*pelay is banned in a lot of countries due to is explicit sexual nature.

 

[loyalviewer55]

@KatoShuu
Mostly do to Laws focused on Drug Use / Violence / Censorship / "Propaganda" and so on...

Saint's Row 4 had a cut-seen removed in the Australian release for Drug Use.
Wolfenstein had to remove all nazi symbols to be released in Germany.

There are alot of videos on odd or strange Censorship in Video Games over the years.