US EditionValve Must Defend Steam's Pricing Model in £656 Million Class-Action Case
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal approved a collective claim for about 14 million Steam users alleging Valve charged excessive commissions up to 30% through anti-competitive clauses.
- The Competition Appeal Tribunal in London filed January 26 certified a 656 million claim against Valve, allowing the case to proceed, despite Valve's opposition.
- Alleging anti‑competitive conduct, Shotbolt says Valve used price‑parity clauses to `shut out` rivals and charged an `excessive commission of up to 30%` on UK Steam purchasers after June 5, 2018.
- The opt‑out collective action seeks to represent about 14 million UK Steam users and could yield estimated payouts from £22 to £44, potentially more in Scotland.
- No trial date has been set, and a full hearing is expected to be years away, while Milberg London LLP backs the claim and has a related Sony case set for trial in March 2026.
- As a rare UK collective action, this opt‑out design required tweaks to the class definition to address Valve's objections, while reporting says `99.9 percent` of Steam users will likely not know it's taking place.
25 Articles
25 Articles
A lawsuit in the UK is moving forward. The gaming giant is alleged to be abusing its position of power, both towards players and publishers.
The video game company Valve is facing a lawsuit of more than £656 million ($905 million) for abuse of dominant position over the prices and conditions it demands from developers on Steam in the UK. The Competition Court in London has dismissed the company's appeal and will continue to pursue the lawsuit filed by activist Vicki Shotbolt on behalf of up to 14 million Steam users in the UK in June 2024. All of them are presumed to have purchased S…
Valve must defend Steam's pricing model in £656 million class-action case
The lawsuit, filed by digital rights advocate Vicki Shotbolt in 2024, alleges that Valve's control over Steam's terms and conditions has effectively locked players and publishers into its ecosystem. Up to 14 million UK users are represented in the action, which argues they were overcharged for games and downloadable content...Read Entire Article
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