Valve Faces £656 Million Lawsuit Over Alleged Overcharging
PC games giant Valve is currently embroiled in a legal battle in the UK, with digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbolt suing the company for a whopping £656 million (9 million). Shotbolt claims that Valve has been overcharging consumers in the country, affecting around 14 million PC gamers.
Shotbolt’s case is based on three main arguments. Firstly, she alleges that Valve imposes pricing restrictions on publishers, which in turn influences the prices of games on other platforms. This, she argues, limits consumer choice and hinders competition in the market.
The lawsuit states, “Companies with a dominant market position are not allowed to charge excessive or anti-competitive prices, or impose unfair trading conditions that prevent others from competing. We believe Valve Corporation has been unfairly shutting out competition for PC games and in-game content, leading to UK customers paying too much for these products.”
Furthermore, Shotbolt accuses Valve of forcing game publishers to adhere to pricing restrictions that dictate the lowest possible prices for games on rival platforms. This, she claims, has resulted in UK consumers overpaying for PC games and add-on content, while Valve continues to charge publishers a hefty commission of up to 30%.
This lawsuit is not the first of its kind for Valve, as the company is already facing a separate court case brought by developer and publisher Wolfire Games over similar competition concerns regarding its Steam platform.
