Indonesia blocks Valve, Epic Games and more for failing to comply with new regulations
UPDATE: Steam has been restored in the country, but Epic Games Store and EA Origin are still inaccessible
Update, August 4, 2022: Steam has now been restored in Indonesia, but the Epic Games Store is still blocked.
As reported by Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad on Twitter, "Valve has registered with Kominfo and Steam is now officially unblocked and accessible in Indonesia."
Outside of games, Paypal has also been restored, Reuters reported.
However, other game storefronts are still inaccessible, Ahmad continued: "Epic Games Store/Services and EA's Origin still remained blocked and there is no official confirmation on whether they plan to register yet."
Original story, August 1, 2022: Several major websites, including key games marketplace Steam, have been blocked in Indonesia after the companies behind them failed to register for new licensing rules.
Reuters reports the Southeast Asian nation released new rules in November 2020 that would give authorities more power to police content on the internet. This includes taking down content that is classed as unlawful or “disturbs public order”, and calling on platforms to share the data of certain users.
Companies needed to register by July 29, 2022 to show compliance with the new rules, with some – including Meta, Amazon, Google parent Alphabet – doing so in the final few days.
However, a text message from a senior official at Indonesia’s Communications Ministry listed a number of sites that have been blocked after the deadline, including Yahoo, PayPal, and various websites owned by Valve and Epic Games.
Reuters reports Steam, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike have been blocked, and it’s expected that both the Epic Games Store and Fortnite have been barred in the country.
However, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said via Twitter that the blocks will not be permanent, as long as the firms affected register and comply with the new regulations. The Communications Ministry has already reached out to the blocked companies.
A recent Niko Partners report produced in partnership with the ministry reveals Indonesia is the largest games market in Southeast Asia, with more than 170 million players and a market worth $1 billion.
Mobile gaming is the biggest revenue generator at $755.5 million – more than twice the amount driven by PC gaming, which comes in at $318.8 million.
However, there are very few local games developers, accounting for less than 1% of the market.
Additional reporting by Marie Dealessandri