Out of all the gaming companies, Valve is the one getting sued?!
Steam has been around for over 20 years now and has seemingly dominated the PC gaming market for as long as anyone can remember. Now, however, the platform is being sued, and the reasoning behind it is, let’s say, debatable.
Steam Accused Of Abusing Market Dominance In UK Lawsuit
Steam is now facing a £656 million lawsuit in the UK, which equals roughly $900,000,000. The reason? Steam allegedly uses its dominant market position to enforce “unfair” prices on customers. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2024 by digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbolt and is supported by the law firm Milberg London LLP. Valve attempted to block the claim from moving forward, but British authorities ruled that it was credible enough to proceed to court. The case is classified as a collective action claim, meaning it could include up to 14 million British Steam users unless they explicitly choose to opt out.
The claim argues that Steam holds too much control over how games are priced and prevents customers from buying DLC or other expansions elsewhere if they purchased the base game on Steam. According to the lawsuit, this setup keeps users tied to Valve’s platform and allows the company to maintain commissions of up to 30 percent, costs that are ultimately reflected in the price players pay and therefore considered unlawful in this context.
A Lawsuit That Could Reshape The Gaming Industry
The claims have sparked confusion among Steam users. Practices like a 30 percent commission or being required to purchase add ons from the same storefront where the base game was bought are fairly common across the industry. However, if the courts were to declare these practices illegal, the consequences could be enormous, potentially affecting not only Steam but the wider gaming market as well.
But until then… does anyone have a good recommendation for a new game on Steam?
