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Valve block Steam game with queer art in Russia after state censor attacks it for “promoting non-traditional sexualities”
(www.rockpapershotgun.com)
this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2025
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So Valve does not accept money from russian users directly (the roundabout methods are well known by russian users and Valve does nothing in this case even though it acts against similar methods when publishers make the call), so why would they even care what Roskomnadzor says? What can Roskomnadzor do to Valve?
I will note that Valve also does nothing about genocidal imperialist russian reviews on this DLC for support of Ukraine in Workers and Resources:
You can check the number of civilians deaths in Donbas in 2014 vs 2022 to present and look at what happened to cities like Bahmut during the russian invasion. Not to mention the 1.5 million Ukrainians who had to leave just in 2014 (including my family members).
And yet we have to hear faux-libertarian polemics about alleged belief in "freedom of speech" and arrogant gibberish about "I am a free speech absolutist!" from individuals who know nothing about the value of free speech.
I said it before and I will say it again, American companies cannot be relied upon as a source of digital services. Both for systematic reasons (submission to the local oligarch/criminal regime) and philosophical reasons (a culture of ignorance and lack of desire to go beyond theatrical proclamations about freedom of this or freedom of that).
Let's say you think I am being uncharitable in my attitude. Then tell me, why does Valve even read notices from Roskomnadzor (not to mention implementing their orders)? Russia is sanctioned and they are not supposed be able to make purchases at all. And yet Valve feels the need to follow orders from Roskomnadzor. What's the logic here?
I think they think that losing steam access would just rocket piracy not only in Russia but in the entire world. Getting russian market on legal games has been a multi decade process and that would really suck for the industry.
Not saying thats right just that it be their reasoning
I respect your reasoning and I agree that it would massively increase piracy in russia, but remember, russia is sanctioned; Valve isn't supposed to be selling to russians in the first place.
Disagree on impact on global piracy rates. Pirated games were widely available via public russia sources such as rutracker.org.
You don't even need to know russian as all titles have english headings.
Here is a link to Vampire Bloodlines 2, originally release on October 21st, with consistent updates since then, last one being on November 18th:
https://rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6761118
You don't need to speak russian to figure out what "magnet-ссылке" with a magnet icon refers to.
Might want to try finding sources for this, because you'll discover this is untrue.
From the article:
Btw, I knew this before reading the article. Do a web search around how these workarounds operate (the example cited by RPS isn't the only one).
There are no ‘Western sanctions’ that prohibit from selling stuff to all Russians. Visa and MasterCard stopped doing cross-border transactions by their own decision, and most Russian banks are cut off from SWIFT. That's all, aside from more individual and sector-specific sanctions.
How does that contradict what I said?
You think living in Ukraine, I would be aware of the exact scope of sanctions against russia (and the massive loopholes)?
Are you aware of what you yourself wrote in the original comment?
Explain to me why they're supposed to not be able to make purchases.
When you use steam, do you mail Newell the cash?
Do you know how law works? There's no law against Newell accepting cash from Russia. Whereas, if the US wanted, they would easily make a law saying it's forbidden to accept any kind of payment from Russia. Steam operates entirely within what the law says.