Game news “He takes advantage of players” This video game giant is questioned for its dominant position on the market
Published on 06/16/2024 at 5:00 p.m.
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Gabe Newell’s company is once again singled out for a dominant position from which it would benefit.
The valves are open
This is not the first time that the American company Valve has been accused of abusing Steam’s market power to rule the roost in the world of PC gaming. We still remember recent complaints about clauses that would prevent healthy competition between digital distribution platforms. Today we learn from GamesIndustry that Valve is once again accused of using “its dominant position” on the market “to overcharge 14 million British consumers”. Brought by Vicki Shotbolt, a digital rights campaigner, this class action could cost Steam up to £656 millionor more than 780 million euros.
According to her and in comments taken up by GamesIndustry and BBC News, “Valve rigs the market and takes advantage of British players”. Additionally, the complaint also accuses Valve of forcing publishers into “price restrictions”, in addition to having made them pay “commissions of up to 30%”. “We believe Valve has unfairly excluded competition for PC games and game content, meaning UK customers have paid too much for these products” we read.
See Baldur’s Gate 3 on GOG
“To stop illegal conduct”
The site dedicated to topics related to business in the world of video games informs us that the complaint was filed on June 5 with the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Vicki Shotbolt said she filed this action “to stop this illegal conduct and get people back what they are owed“. We also learn that Vicki Shotbolt is represented by Milberg London LLP, a firm which already supported Alex Neill in a similar complaint filed against Sony two years ago. “Competition law is there to protect consumers and ensure the proper functioning of markets”, law firm partner Natasha Pearman told BBC. “When they malfunction and consumers are harmed, class actions like this give consumers a voice and hold big companies, like Valve, accountable”, she adds.
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