Steam Owner in court: 840 million dollar class action lawsuit for market manipulation

Valve, the operator of the popular gaming platform Steam, is facing a massive $840 million (£656 million) lawsuit filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London. The lawsuit accuses Valve of eliminating competition in the PC games market and exploiting its dominant market position to charge excessive prices.

Vicki Shotbolt, a digital rights activist and CEO of The Parent Zone is leading the class action lawsuit. She claims that Valve is forcing game publishers to enter into price maintenance clauses, which prevents titles from being sold at lower prices on competing platforms. This allegedly allowed Steam to charge an unreasonable commission of up to 30 percent, resulting in inflated costs for UK consumers when purchasing PC games and additional content.

Shotbolt is bringing the action to stop the unlawful conduct and return the money owed to consumers. If the lawsuit is successful, each plaintiff would be entitled to damages. The hearing is scheduled for June 17, 2024 before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The duration of the hearing is protected at three weeks, with a one-week extension possible. Valve has already been contacted for comment but has not yet responded.