The prominent American game developer and Steam’s parent company, Valve, is currently embroiled in a £656 million lawsuit in the UK. Vicki Shotbolt, a leading advocate for children’s digital rights, is spearheading the case alongside Milberg London, accusing Valve of market manipulation and exploitation of UK gamers.
Shotbolt explains that the video game distributor is trying to monopolise the PC gaming market as it “forces” game publishers to get into price parity obligations which disables publishers from offering lower prices for their titles on competing platforms.
Shotbolt’s claims are backed by other points including the hefty 30 per cent commission that is charged by Steam for the developers’ game sales on the platform and if a user purchases a game on Steam, they have to purchase future add-ons in the game exclusively through Steam.
Supporting these claims is a dedicated website titled “Steam You Owe Us,” which invokes UK law prohibiting dominant market players from setting unfair prices or imposing anti-competitive conditions. According to the site, Valve’s practices have allegedly overcharged around 14 million UK-based PC gamers by £22 to £44 per purchase.
Back in 2022, Sony-owned gaming powerhouse PlayStation was sued with a similar case claiming players were charged “excessive and unfair prices on the PlayStation Store” because of “unfair terms and conditions” for game developers and publishers. Valve was sued in 2021 by an independent game studio, Wolffire Games, which accused them of stifling competition.
Valve is the biggest PC game distributor and developer who has created several beloved games such as Portal, Half Life, Counter Strike 2, and the cult classic Team Fortress 2. Valve is also a big player in the VR gaming industry with Steam VR games such as the critically acclaimed Half Life: Alyx and other third-party titles such as The Elder Scrolls Skyrim VR and No Man’s Sky VR.
Despite its innovative contributions, the company’s legal challenges underscore growing concerns over market dominance and consumer fairness in the digital gaming industry.