Valve, the company behind Steam—the largest digital distribution platform for PC games in the world—is being sued for £656 million as part of a new case in the UK where the company is alleged to have used its market dominance to overcharge 14 million people in the country. The case has been brought by Vicki Shotbolt, a digital rights campaigner.
From a report:
- “The claim – which has been filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, in London – accuses Valve of “shutting out” competition in the PC gaming market.”
- “It says Valve ‘forces’ game publishers to sign up to so-called price parity obligations, preventing titles being sold at cheaper prices on rival platforms.”
- “Ms. Shotbolt says this has enabled Steam to charge an ‘excessive commission of up to 30%,’ making UK consumers pay too much for purchasing PC games and add-on content.”
- “Ms. Shotbolt – who accuses Valve of breaching UK competition law for at least six years – says she is bringing the claim ‘to stop this unlawful conduct and help people get back what they are owed.'”
How Steam has been working out for Valve in recent years:
The BBC on the above numbers:
[Steam] had record-breaking sales in 2023, generating over $9bn (£7.1bn) in global revenue. This was driven by 580m games sold and 14,000 new games released. However, the market is extremely concentrated, with the top 10 bestselling games making up 61% of all sales. The top 100 games account for 91% of total sales.