Valve may be forced to pay one billion dollars in compensation to millions of players

Valve Corporation risks becoming the center of one of the loudest legal cases in the gaming industry. In the United Kingdom a class action lawsuit of around 656 million pounds sterling is being prepared against the company, which is equal to almost one billion dollars.

This was reported by the BBC.

The reason for the case are accusations of abusing the dominant position of Steam on the digital distribution market. The claimants say that Valve imposes strict conditions on game publishers, limiting the ability to sell games cheaper or earlier on alternative platforms, and effectively “locking” players to Steam.

The lawsuit was initiated by digital rights activist Vicki Shotbolt in 2024. She acts on behalf of around 14 million Steam users in the UK, who in case of winning the case may receive compensation.

According to the case materials Valve requires that all additional content for games purchased on Steam must be bought exclusively through the platform. In the opinion of the claimants this deprives users of real choice and contributes to inflated prices.

Special attention is paid to Steam’s commission, which can reach up to 30%. It is this fee, as claimed in the lawsuit, that makes British players overpay for games and in-game content.

Valve tried to get the case dismissed from further consideration, however the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London allowed the court process to continue. The interests of the claimants are represented by the law firm Milberg London LLP, which specializes in class actions against large corporations.