Valve faces $900 million lawsuit over anti-competitive Steam practices following UK tribunal ruling

A UK tribunal has ruled that a £656 million ($901 million) collective action lawsuit against Valve over alleged anti-competitive practices on Steam can proceed.

The details:

• Vicki Shotbolt, a digital rights campaigner, filed the lawsuit in 2024 on behalf of up to 14 million UK Steam users who have purchased games or add-on content via the platform since 2018. Shotbolt claims that Valve uses its dominant position in the PC gaming market to impose restrictive platform parity obligations that prevent game publishers from selling their products at lower prices or earlier release dates on competing digital storefronts, limiting consumer choice and reducing market competition.
• The lawsuit also claims that Valve uses "lock-in" mechanisms to force players to buy all downloadable content (DLC) and add-ons through Steam if they purchased the base game on the platform, preventing them from finding cheaper alternatives elsewhere.
• Valve contested the claim on multiple grounds, claiming that the lawsuit lacked sufficient detail about its commission structure and failed to provide a workable methodology for identifying eligible Steam users, but the Competition Appeal Tribunal has now ruled (via Reuters) that the lawsuit can proceed.
• Those who would be classed as an affected user in the UK could potentially receive compensation ranging from £22 to £44 each if the lawsuit is successful, but individuals are able to opt out if they wish.