Valve sued over antitrust: Steam in the spotlight

Steam, Valve’s popular gaming platform, is once again under pressure from an antitrust lawsuit. The case accuses Valve of abusing its dominant position in the PC marketplace by pressuring developers, including major names like Ubisoft and Warner Bros., to maintain price parity across digital storefronts.

Allegations against Valve

The core of the lawsuit is that Valve encouraged developers to keep their prices the same, or even raise them, on other platforms in order to limit competition. That claim is supported by emails submitted as part of the case, which allegedly reveal Valve tactics aimed at preventing cheaper prices elsewhere.

Incidents involving Ubisoft and Warner Bros.

Two notable examples are cited in the lawsuit. In the first, Valve allegedly threatened to remove all editions of Rainbow Six Siege from Steam after Ubisoft offered a cheaper version of the game in its Uplay store. That Starter Pack was available for $15 USD, but it was not offered on Steam, where the cheapest option was significantly more expensive. Valve reportedly pressured Ubisoft to fix the price gap quickly, with an urgent demand to comply by the end of the day.

In the second case, back in 2017, Warner Bros. allegedly had a similar experience. As the company prepared to launch Middle-earth: Shadow of War , it was told that the game’s pre-orders had been removed from Steam. Valve said the price was much higher than what other retailers were charging for the same version of the game, prompting a direct attempt by David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, to resolve the situation.

Valve’s behavior and legal history

The lawsuit further suggests that Valve’s internal communications may point to a price-parity policy. Kassidy Gerber, a member of Valve’s business development team, denied the claim, despite being shown a statement she had allegedly made to one of the developers involved. Valve is no stranger to the legal spotlight, having previously been accused of abusing its market power to maintain its position. This case also follows a recent claim against Valve in New York over loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2 , which allegedly amount to illegal gambling.

The outcome of this lawsuit could have major implications for both Valve’s policies and the wider digital games marketplace. How the case develops from here remains to be seen.