Antitrust lawsuit filed against Valve in 2021 is being taken up a notch

Thanks to Steam dominating the PC gaming market, Valve is one of the biggest companies in the industry. However, it’s not all sales and discounts, as an ongoing case filed against Gabe Newell and his team has had a recent update.

According to court documents seen by Gamesindustry.biz, an antitrust lawsuit brought against Valve and its Steam client has now been granted a “class action” status. This takes the case to a new level, which could see any company that uses the gaming client to sell products join the dispute.

The original lawsuit was filed in 2021 by two developers: Wolfire Games in April and Dark Catt Studios in July. Now, according to the report, the lawsuit will “apply to any developers, publishers or individuals who paid a commission to Valve in connection with a game sale.”

What’s the dispute about?

Anyone who’s a frequent gamer knows that Steam is almost the final word in providing a digital storefront for anyone who prefers gaming on PC. This has been the way for years. However, with such power over the market, a price is paid. Quite literally.

Currently, Valve takes a commission on any game that’s sold through its client to the tune of 30%. The antitrust lawsuit filed in 2021 argues that this is an “anti-competitive” strategy, particularly as Steam is the market leader in PC gaming, with some 75% of PC games being sold via the service.

Many studios may agree that – as noted by Wolfire – this commission is “an extraordinarily high cut.” If the case goes ahead, it seems that any developer and publisher who has dealt with Valve since January 28, 2017, may be able to get involved.

This is also not the first time the company behind Steam has come under fire. Back in June, Valve was getting sued for “rigging the market” in the UK by “overcharging” on its prices.

One of the arguments for the case being brought forward by Wolfire and Dark Catt is Steam’s “Price Parity Provision,” which prevents other clients – such as Epic Games Store – from offering a better price than what’s listed on Steam.

The lawsuits filed by both developers are being consolidated into one case. At the time of writing, Valve has not issued an official statement.