Quote Originally Posted by TonyTheTiger View Post
It's not your facts that I'm disputing, it's your conclusions. You're contending that the UPC code acts as the key switch. So how do you explain games that don't have different UPC codes between regions?
I'll be honest, your example of a GBA game having the same UPC in various regions is not only surprising, but kind of changes my mind about the whole argument. I always assumed every region would have a different UPC since there are many US release games nowadays that have different UPCs depending on the retailer and what exclusive DLC is included. I have also seen plenty of US only release games that had a second UPC stuck over the original UPC I'm assuming because of an error. It would be interesting to know why Sega felt the need to add the second UPC. Perhaps the original UPC was already taken by another product in the US? Does anyone know how UPCs are assigned? Is there a central authority that publishers have to contact to get a UPC assignment?