TLDR: Steam’s Korean Won pricing is cheap for Omega time.
I already bought EVE on Steam in 2010, before the Steam account revamp stuff in 2013. That means, I cannot purchase anything (Omega time, PLEX, packages) on Steam because my old EVE account is not bound to my Steam account. Also, since I already own EVE on Steam, I cannot re-own it, right?
That was no problem for me, as CCP said the pricing will be the same for both Steam and EVE account management.
Initially the new features will be rolled out to new users only. Once we evaluate the feedback and data from the first stage of the program, we will look at taking the next steps and adding new features to the integration. EVE Online subscription and PLEX packages on Steam are priced in the exact same way as on our own website, so all players are on equal footing regardless of the way they pay for their subscriptions.
A few years passed: Steam supports more currencies including South Korean Won (KRW) since 2014, and I am about to return to New Eden after a long silence. Now I have something in my mind…
Game prices on Steam are NOT always the same for various currencies, even though the publisher did not implement different pricing policies for different regions/currencies. EVE is no exception. Many items follows the USD-equivalent pricing, but others not, at least for KRW.
Here is the comparison of USD payments on EVE account management and on South Korean Steam store page.
As of December 22, 2017 KST, 1 USD roughly equals to 1080 KRW.
10% VAT included for KRW prices.
Remember these are NOT the discounted prices; Steam winter sale does not count.
Item | Steam KRW | USD equiv | Acc Mgmt
---------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------
30-Day MCT | 22360 | 20.70 | 19.95
10 Alpha Injectors | 6710 | 6.21 | 5.99
500 PLEX | 22600 | 20.93 | 19.99
15400 PLEX | 565360 | 523.48 | 499.99
1-Month Omega Time | 10400 | 9.63 | 14.95
3-Month Omega Time | 26130 | 24.19 | 38.85
6-Month Omega Time | 48220 | 44.65 | 71.70
12-Month Omega Time | 88360 | 81.81 | 131.40
I am NOT complaining about the slightly higher KRW prices. My credit card adds about 5% of base price for foreign transaction fee, so Steam prices are acceptable… except for Omega time.
Whether CCP intended or not, the Omega time on Steam is too cheap, at least when you are playing EVE in South Korea.