Steam, Epic Games Store, and more banned in Indonesia with thousands of gamers left in the dark
Steam and the Epic Games Store have been blocked in Indonesia without any explanation, leaving gamers in the country looking for answers. Earlier on July 30, news started coming in regarding the termination of the services of these two platforms as they were made unavailable. Interestingly, the two digital platforms aren't the only services that have been banned, and many websites have met a similar fate.
It has been suggested that the ban could be due to a failure to comply with government regulations in the country that require companies to register in a database.
As mentioned above, the entire situation goes beyond the two digital storefronts. Battlenet, known for its Call of Duty service, has also been banned. International payment service PayPal has met a similar fate, and this decision could end up being especially disruptive.
While PayPal might not be directly related to gaming, it's a good payment gateway on different platforms. So while the Steam and Epic Games Store ban will primarily affect PC gamers, the prohibition on PayPal could hamper console users and even those who aren't gamers.
A significant problem has been the lack of clarity from the government or the affected parties. Team Secret Esports broke the news in the late hours of July 29 as word started to come in from the Southeast Asian nation.
Some believe that the ban might have resulted from a failure to comply with new government regulations. For example, companies plying their trade in Indonesia are required to register in a nationalized database. It could be the case that Steam, the Epic Games Store, and other affected parties didn't do this, resulting in the ban.
What's also unclear is the duration of this ban. Due to a lack of information, there's no
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