Valve is being sued in the United Kingdom for the sum of £656 million, or roughly $840 million USD. Valve is accused of "using its marketing dominance to overcharge 14 million people in the UK," according to a report by the BBC.
Vicki Shotbolt, a digital rights campaigner, is the one leading the lawsuit against Valve. Shotbolt claims that "Valve is rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers." The claim was filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) in London. The suit accuses the Steam owner and operator of "shutting out" competition in the PC 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 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.
"Competition law is there to protect consumers and ensure that markets work properly," said Natasha Pearman, a partner at the law firm.
"When they don’t work properly and consumers are harmed, collective actions of this kind provide consumers with a voice and a way of holding big companies, like Valve, to account."
"When they don’t work properly and consumers are harmed, collective actions of this kind provide consumers with a voice and a way of holding big companies, like Valve, to account."
Edit: I sent the CAT an e-mail asking for clarification.