Steam is having issues processing payments for Ukrainian game developers amid Russia’s invasion.
On Thursday, developers based in Ukraine had their banking information on Steam deactivated. Valve, the company that owns Steam, sent out emails claiming it couldn’t “send bank payment to Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine” due to the conflict. The statement was confusing for many Ukrainian game developers, including Ternox Games.
“Hey [Valve], are you okay,” Ternox Games said on Twitter. “My country was attacked by Russia, and because of this, you decided to deprive me of a source of income?”
Valve then replied to Ternox Games on Friday, clarifying the situation somewhat.
“This past week, our bank notified us that they will begin requiring that we provide intermediary bank information for all wire payments in Russia and Ukraine,” Valve’s statement reads. “We are working to understand all the new requirements, create a path to collect this information from you, and send it to the bank.”
You can read Valve’s complete response below.
Got a response from Valve!
In short: I have to wait, but there will be no payment this month.Thanks for the clarification. pic.twitter.com/OB9VZwMz7c
— Ternox Games 🇺🇦 STONKS-9800, Taimumari, Bakumari (@Taimumari) March 18, 2022
Later in the statement, Valve claims Ukrainian developers can either change payment instructions or wait until the company figures out how to get past these banking issues.
Many companies within the games industry have taken a firm stance on Russia in light of its invasion of Ukraine. GSC Game World, CD Projekt Red, Microsoft, and Sony are no longer selling software or products in Russia and Belarus, while Itch.io, Square Enix, and The Pokémon Company have made charitable donations towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
