Steam to start charging 12% VAT in June
Filipino gamers will have to shell out a little bit more money for their favorite games as Steam, the digital storefront for games developed by video game developer Valve, is set to add value-added tax (VAT) to its prices in the Philippines.
On the Steam website, the Philippines is listed under the “To Be Collected in the Future” column of a table showing the different countries where Steam collects VAT as mandated by that country's laws. The 12 percent added tax rate will be collected by Steam starting June 1, 2025 and will be included in the price.
The addition comes after current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Value Added Tax on Digital Services law in October last year. The law not only affects Steam but will also be collected from streaming services like Netflix and social networking sites like Facebook.
The upcoming 12 percent tax is just the latest news to affect the gaming world. Less than a week ago, popular mobile and AR (augmented reality) game Pokemon Go was acquired by mobile game maker Scopely, a company owned by the Saudi royal investment fund.
A week before that, news began to circulate that Microsoft would be releasing a partner handheld device to its popular Xbox gaming console.
The news about the Xbox-partnered handheld device came at the heels of the announcement for the Nintendo Switch 2, a handheld gaming console which will also be released this year. The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to the 2017 Nintendo Switch.
Watch the teaser trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 below.
Video game developer and publisher Konami also announced a mobile game prequel for its popular Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) franchise, Suikoden.
Named Suikoden Star Leap, the mobile game “appears to be a traditional turn-based experience that features 2D graphics reminiscent of the HD-2D style.” It will also be a prequel to Suikoden I and a sequel to Suikoden V, according to gaming website Silicon Era.
Just like the main Suikoden games, players of Suikoden Star Leap will be able to recruit 108 Stars throughout the world and will also feature a home base that players can customize and expand. Konami will also come out with a manga featuring the game's storyline.
As of the moment, there has been no release date announced for the mobile game.
Watch the teaser trailer below.
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