Valve Faces Class-Action Lawsuit for Alleged Antitrust Violations and Pricing Issues
TapTechNews August 13th news, video game developer and publisher Valve has recently faced a class-action lawsuit from consumers, suing it for prohibiting game publishers from offering discounts outside its Steam platform, resulting in consumers being forced to pay higher game prices.
Four players from California, Florida, and Missouri filed a lawsuit against Valve in the Seattle federal court last Friday, claiming that the company has obtained billions of dollars in annual revenue through killing competition and price restrictions, and has occupied a dominant market position.
The lawsuit alleges that Valve prohibits PC game publishers from offering more favorable prices on competing platforms, violating US antitrust laws. The lawsuit also points out that game developers should have the right to adjust prices according to different platforms.
In addition, the plaintiffs also accuse Valve of charging a 30% fee to publishers who sell games on the Steam platform, which is ultimately passed on to consumers, resulting in higher game prices.
The lawsuit states: Valve's huge profits come at the expense of consumers, who are charged excessive prices when purchasing games and in-game content on Steam.
As of TapTechNews' press time, Valve has not yet responded.
Plaintiff lawyer Steve Berman said in a statement that this case is important for consumers, and we look forward to seeking compensation for the losses caused by Valve's excessive pricing. The lawsuit seeks to file a class-action lawsuit on behalf of at least millions of people and requests the court to order Valve to stop restricting PC game prices.
Valve is currently also facing another lawsuit filed in the Seattle federal court in 2021, which was filed by the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan on behalf of consumers and game publishers. Valve has denied any improper behavior in this lawsuit and is defending the plaintiffs' request to certify the case as a class-action lawsuit.