On June 5, Vicki Shalbot, a digital rights campaigner for children and families, filed a £656 million (approximately $834 million) lawsuit against Valve, alleging anti-competitive behavior and excessive pricing.
Valve faces £656m lawsuit over overcharging 14 million UK gamers on Steam
As reported by VGC, they accused Valve of making publishers sign a contract that dictates the lowest price they can sell games for on rival platforms. In other words, if a game is on Steam and at least one other PC platform, Steam would always get the best deal during the sale.
“Companies that hold a dominant position in a market may not charge excessive or anti-competitive prices,” the lawsuit's website states.
According to VGC, it could take a few years for the lawsuit to be settled, but if successful, PC gamers in the UK who purchased games and DLC through Steam could be eligible for between £22 and £44 in damages.
