Region Locked Wi-Fi, why does this exist?

[ccbtimewiz]

Okay, so not many are aware that a few video games for the Nintendo Wii are actually region locked. And by locked, I mean the system that the game uses to distribute friend codes is different per region, preventing the ability to add, for example, an American player to your European roster.

Why is this? Isn't the point of Wi-Fi to be global? Why are some games limited to only your region, and why couldn't all Wi-Fi games be like Mario Kart Wii / Brawl (which have no region lock).

I'm talking about games like Super Mario Strikers Charged and Mario Sports Mix. Some people have said it was to prevent lag problems, but really I've played people with worse connections that live next door than someone with an amazing connection in Japan.

[MelonCarty]

Take Hunter Tri for example.

Both of them may be the same, but certain features are removed/added

Japan never got the pointless Arm Wrestling feature.

As well as Weapons in the game

The Cold Call quest in Japan is an Inuyashia quest where instead of Tembra you get Testayga.

That would get mixed opinions with people so that is why certain games are not Global.

[Vara]

There are games that I don't get why they were region-locked, though... like Quantum of Solace and Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (maybe with the latter lag would have been even worse, though...)