Valve accused of "overcharging" Steam customers in £656 million lawsuit
Valve is being sued in a collective action claim led by a UK digital rights campaigner, which accuses the company of "shutting out" competition in the PC gaming market and abusing its position to overcharge Steam users.
The details:
Vicki Shotbolt, a digital rights activist, filed the claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal on June 5 on behalf of 14 million PC players. According to a website covering the suit, Shotbolt claims that Valve is "forcing game publishers to sign up to pricing restrictions that dictate the lowest price games can be sold for on rival platforms," which has resulted in paying more than expected as publishers have inflated prices to cover the "excessive commission of up to 30 percent."
Anyone based in the UK and has bought games or DLC on Steam from June 5, 2018 is involved in the class unless they choose to opt-out. The lawsuit believes that every person involved could be entitled between £22 and £44 in compensation should it be successful.
Law firm Milberg London is backing the case, which is the same firm behind the ongoing £5 billion lawsuit filed against Sony in 2022 accusing the company of abusing its dominance in the console market to impose high fees and unfair terms and conditions on publishers. In late 2023, the Competition Appeal Tribunal gave approval for the suit to continue despite Sony stating that it was “flawed from start to finish.”
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