Valve faces €763m lawsuit in UK

Valve Corporation has been sued in the United Kingdom for €763 million, accused of manipulating the PC gaming market through its Steam platform. According to the website associated with the action, the action was brought by digital rights activist Vicky Shadbold, who claimed the company was “eliminating” competition and abusing its dominant market position, breaching British competition laws. Information collected by our colleagues Eurogamer.

The class action was brought before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal and is supported by law firm Milberg London LLP. The complaint alleges that 14 million British consumers overpaid for PC games due to Valve’s practices, seeking compensation of between €26 and €51 for each consumer.

The lawsuit highlights three main charges against Valve: First, the company imposes price parity rules on developers and publishers, prevents other platforms from selling games at lower prices, restricts consumer choice and harms competition. Second, Valve has been accused of prohibiting consumers from purchasing additional content (DLC) for Steam games on competing platforms, further restricting competition. Third, Valve charges a commission of up to 30% on Steam sales, resulting in inflated prices for consumers.

This isn’t the first time Valve has faced such allegations. In 2021, the company was the target of an antitrust lawsuit in California and a similar lawsuit filed by Wolfire Games. Additionally, Milberg London LLP, which is leading the current litigation, represented consumers in a class action lawsuit against Sony in 2022, alleging similar practices by the company.

Disputes of this magnitude can take years to resolve. Valve has yet to comment on the lawsuit, but the company is expected to present a defense against the allegations.