Lawsuit Against Valve May Bring Major Change on Steam

As a gaming enthusiast with a strong affinity for the PC platform and an appreciation for the intricacies of the video game industry, I find myself closely watching the ongoing legal battle between Wolfire Games and Valve. Having spent countless hours on Steam over the years, I can’t help but feel a sense of solidarity with developers who are challenging the status quo.

As a gamer, I’m closely following the legal tussle between Wolfire Games and Valve, a battle that started back in April 2021. Exciting news just came in, they’ve granted it class action status! This means more parties are now joining the fray, making this dispute even more intriguing than before.

Recall that Wolfire Games accused Valve of harmful practices for both publishers and consumers. We are discussing an unfair margin of 30%, as well as the MFN clause, which guarantees that games from a specific publisher won’t be sold at a lower price outside of Steam. The American company later issued a response in which it defended the percentage charged, describing it as an “industry standard,” among other things. It’s worth noting that in July 2022, the case was connected with another one previously brought by Dark Catt Studios.

According to GamesIndustry.biz’s recent report based on court documents, the lawsuit has been elevated to a class action status, meaning it encompasses all game developers and publishers who have sold their products on Steam and paid a commission as of January 28, 2017, or thereafter. In simpler terms, this dispute now involves a much larger group due to its class action status.

It was likewise found that Valve’s request to keep Dr. Steven Schwartz’s testimony out of court was denied. The defense had chosen him to make their case.

It seems we’ll probably need to be patient a while longer before this entire situation is resolved. Should Wolfire Games and Dark Catt prevail in their case, Valve (Steam’s owner) might be required to pay a significant amount of money and adjust the revenue-sharing model they use on their digital platform.

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Lawsuit Against Valve May Bring Major Change on Steam

Author: Martin Bukowski

A graduate with a degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from the Gdańsk University of Technology, this individual found a passion for video games at a young age. As a child, he immersed himself in the mystical world of Gothic’s Valley of Mines and honed his skills in League of Legends by relentlessly pursuing gold. Fast-forward to the present day, and games continue to captivate him as they did back then. His current favorites include the Persona series and titles from From Software that fall under the soulslike genre. He prefers PC gaming over consoles and carves out time for translation work, creating his own game, or enjoying movies and animated series in his leisure hours.

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2024-11-29 16:31