Gaming —

Valve locking out user accounts for “incorrect territory”

In the face of internationally purchased copies of Orange Box, Valve has begun …

While Orange Box has quickly become one of the more popular titles of recent times for both console players on the Xbox 360 (and soon the PS3) and legions of happy PC gamers, the news is not all good about Valve's latest outing. Complaints are coming in that Valve has begun to hunt down and lock out any users who purchased the game internationally, effectively rendering these users' purchase useless.

One user, Todd, explains that thousands of crafty North American gamers looking for a deal have "bought the product (and hence, the serial numbers) at well known international game stores" at a significant markdown. Activation of the purchased titles went off without a hitch. However, Valve apparently has taken issue with the region-specificity of some international versions and has begun locking out accounts of those living in North America, but owning international serial numbers with the message that the purchased game is in the "incorrect territory."

To make matters worse, customers who've purchased another copy of the game from a North American vendor have reportedly been having trouble getting the legit game to function after the international key has been locked out. A thread on Fat Wallet, an online consumer-based deals site where the original discount was largely advertised, documents the ordeal.

Based on the anecdotal evidence in the forum thread, it seems as though Valve has made quite the blunder here: the customer service presented by the thread is particularly jarring. We'll have more on the story as it develops.

Channel Ars Technica