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Steam Price-Fixing Lawsuit: Valve, 10 Publishers Sued [2026]
AppWizard
September 15, 2026

Steam Price-Fixing Lawsuit: Valve, 10 Publishers Sued [2026]

On August 27, 2026, a class action lawsuit was filed in San Mateo County Superior Court by three California gamers—Alexander Shimota, Ricardo Camargo, and John Elliott—against Valve Corporation and ten video game publishers, accusing them of colluding to maintain uniform pricing for PC games across digital storefronts. The lawsuit alleges that Valve requires publishers on its Steam platform to agree to a most-favored-nation clause, preventing them from offering lower prices on competing platforms, which stifles competition and limits consumer choice. The ten implicated publishers include Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Sony Interactive Entertainment. The lawsuit is filed under California's Cartwright Act and claims that the coordinated pricing strategy harms consumers by reducing product diversity and inflating prices. Valve's commission structure, which has largely remained unchanged, is central to the plaintiffs' argument. Valve's co-founder, Gabe Newell, has previously denied dictating prices to third-party developers. The lawsuit is distinct from a prior case, Wolfire Games v. Valve, which focuses on monopoly abuse against developers rather than consumer pricing. Additionally, Valve faces a parallel £2 billion class action in the UK regarding similar pricing allegations. The outcome of these cases could significantly impact the pricing landscape for PC games and the practices of digital storefronts.
Here's the Aniimo release time for your region
AppWizard
September 15, 2026

Here’s the Aniimo release time for your region

Aniimo is set to release on September 15 in the United States and September 16 in Europe and the UK. Preloading is available starting September 14 at 10 am (UTC+8), and the game requires approximately 40GB of storage, with initial downloads around 28GB. Players can download the Aniimo launcher from the official website. The game adopts a free-to-play model without gacha mechanics.
Valve has ported Half-Life: Alyx to ARM, and it’s free with Steam Frame
AppWizard
September 14, 2026

Valve has ported Half-Life: Alyx to ARM, and it’s free with Steam Frame

Valve has released the Steam Frame, its first VR headset since 2019, priced at ,059, bundled with Half-Life: Alyx. The game has been ported to run natively on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 3 chip, allowing it to operate without a traditional desktop PC. The Steam Frame features eye-tracking technology and foveated rendering, enhancing performance by focusing on areas where the user is looking. Valve invested a year in software development for the headset, benefiting not only Half-Life: Alyx but also other games on the platform. The Steam Frame supports various games without extensive porting and can run Windows games through translation and emulation layers. Valve has not been developing new VR content since 2025, though speculation about Half-Life 3 persists.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
September 14, 2026

Our World of Warcraft Forever hype is dampened by $30 elves: New Skyborne race locked behind expansion-tier purchase

World of Warcraft: Forever will include a significant portion of content with a standard WoW subscription, but the new Skyborne Elf race and its starter zone will cost an additional .99 through the Skyborne Hero Pack. This pack includes the elf race, a mount, cosmetics, housing decorations, and early name reservation. The pricing strategy aligns with industry standards, but some community members find it steep compared to other games. Historically, expansion packs have been priced around .99, while the most recent WoW expansion was priced at .99. Future classes in Forever may adopt a similar monetization strategy, which raises concerns among long-time fans about diverging from classic WoW principles.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
September 13, 2026

Upcoming vampire RPG Nighthawks has been removed from Steam search and delisted in certain countries as Valve classifies it Adults Only: ‘It’s very bad news for us’

Nighthawks, a vampire RPG from Wadjet Eye Games, has been classified as 'Adults Only' by Steam, resulting in its removal from search results and delisting in regions like Germany. Wadjet Eye's CEO, Dave Gilbert, criticized Steam's decision, arguing that the game’s content is not pornographic. The Adults Only label negatively impacts their launch strategy, especially in key markets, and the team is uncertain about the reasons for the classification. Valve's policies on adult content complicate the situation, as developers must navigate ambiguous guidelines. Richard Cobbett, the game's creator, expressed hope that Valve will reverse the decision before the planned launch on September 22.
Ashly Burch, voice of Horizon's Aloy and star of Mythic Quest, is currently obsessed with Slay the Spire 2 and thinks videogames have too many stoic characters: 'I want more sh*tty little b*tches'
AppWizard
September 13, 2026

Ashly Burch, voice of Horizon’s Aloy and star of Mythic Quest, is currently obsessed with Slay the Spire 2 and thinks videogames have too many stoic characters: ‘I want more sh*tty little b*tches’

Ashly Burch began her gaming journey with a Donkey Kong knockoff on her mother's typing practice computer and was significantly influenced by LucasArts' Day of the Tentacle. She gained recognition through the online sketch show Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin' and is known for her voice roles as Tiny Tina in Borderlands 2, Chloe in Life is Strange, Parvati Holcomb in The Outer Worlds, and Aloy in Guerrilla Games' Horizon series. Burch is currently working on a YouTube comedy series called I'm Happy You're Here, which aims to make mental health discussions more accessible. She is currently playing The Incident at Galley House, a detective game, and has uninstalled Fields of Mistria after spending many hours on it. Her Steam Deck still has Kentucky Route Zero installed, a game she hasn't finished due to its abstract nature. Burch has logged 270 hours in Slay the Spire and considers League of Legends, especially its ARAM mode, a game she will never uninstall. She uses Audacity for voice auditions and maintains a tidy desktop to support her creative process.
Inzoi's director says he is 'very much focused on our core goals' as he announces a multiplayer roleplaying mode designed to be like Ready Player One
AppWizard
September 13, 2026

Inzoi’s director says he is ‘very much focused on our core goals’ as he announces a multiplayer roleplaying mode designed to be like Ready Player One

Inzoi has faced criticism for being a "shallow imitation" of The Sims 4, according to life simulation expert Mollie Taylor. The game's director, Hyungjin "Kjun" Kim, is working on refining Inzoi and has introduced a new mode called 'Canvastown', which aims to enhance gameplay through dynamic interactions. Kim has hinted at the potential for "script mods" that would allow players to create mini-games, although it is unclear if players can develop these mods themselves. In contrast, another life simulation title, Paralives, has received positive feedback for its features and mechanics.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
September 13, 2026

Blizzard just dropped a new Warcraft 3 campaign, the first in 23 years

Blizzard Entertainment has announced the release of a new campaign for Warcraft 3 titled Forsaken Kingdom, marking the first addition since the Frozen Throne expansion in 2003. The campaign is a two-part series for Warcraft 3: Reforged and includes a prologue focusing on the backstory of Arthas. Forsaken Kingdom became available immediately after its announcement at BlizzCon.
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