Is it illegal to publish a game on Steam without a game version number?

Source: Mankiw Blockchain Law

If you are making games in China and cannot obtain a version number, it means that the game cannot be launched online and the platform cannot have a recharge function. Otherwise, you will face the risk of administrative penalties. . Therefore, many game manufacturers choose to put their games on Steam.

Is this legal? First of all, we must mention the issue of extraterritorial jurisdiction of our country’s laws.

The author once mentioned in the previous article "Is it okay for the chain game Gamefi to go online without a game version number?" 》 has analyzed that if there is no domestic version number or package number for online games, and there are corresponding administrative penalty provisions, according to the modest characteristics of the criminal law, criminal means should no longer be used to punish.

In criminal cases, it is divided into territorial jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction, protective jurisdiction, and universal jurisdiction. Therefore, in theory, as long as a Chinese person commits a crime, the victim is a Chinese person, or the crime is committed in China, Chinese judicial organs have jurisdiction.

However, administrative penalties do not have such a wide scope of application. They only apply within China (foreigners and foreign companies who have violated laws in the country can also apply). However, it does not apply if the perpetrator’s behavior occurred abroad.

Therefore, if a game manufacturer publishes a game without a version number in China, it is regulated by administrative laws, but if it is a game published on the foreign platform Steam, it will not be subject to administrative penalties.

However, it should be noted that in February 2021, the “Steam Platform” (Steam China) cooperated by Valve and Perfect World was officially launched in China. If you publish the game on the Steam platform, you still need to obtain a version number.