Steam payments stalled in Ukraine and Russia as Valve sorts out bank problems
Many game developers in Ukraine and Russia won't receive Steam revenue they're owed until at least April. Valve's bank added new rules after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and as a result, the company says it currently cannot wire money to accounts in either country. Steam publishers with Ukrainian or Russian bank accounts either have to wait for Valve to comply with the new rules—the company says it's working on a way to collect and transmit new information required by its bank—or use a foreign bank account for the time being.
«Due to the current environment, we are unable to send bank payments to Belarus, Russia and Ukraine,» Valve wrote in an email sent to Steam publishers two weeks ago. The message was posted to Twitter by Stas Shostak, a Ukrainian game developer who has released a number of games on Steam.
That note was received poorly for its use of «environment» as a euphemism for «invasion,» and because Ukraine's game developers are being deprived of earned income when they need it most. A day later, however, Shostak posted a second email from Valve which both explained the issue in greater detail and apologized for the terseness of the first email.
A Valve representative has confirmed to PC Gamer that the contents of that email are accurate: The company must collect «intermediary banking information» from users in order to make payments to bank accounts located in Ukraine and Russia, and it continues to work on the problem.
«Any outstanding account balances will be paid as soon as they can be sent,» Valve says. «We know this is super frustrating for all involved, and are hoping to find a better resolution soon.»
So Valve clarified, it really is a technical problem and it's gonna be okay till April
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