Home
Entrar
Cadastrar
Conteúdo de Estudo
Loading...
VALVE IS DOOMED: The $900,000,000 Lawsuit - Video học tiếng Anh
Prática de escuta
Prática de escuta
/
Video
/
The Infographics Show
/
VALVE IS DOOMED: The $900,000,000 Lawsuit
VALVE IS DOOMED: The $900,000,000 Lawsuit
Selecione o modo de aprendizagem:
Ver legendas
Escolher palavra
Reescrever palavra
Highlight:
3000 Oxford Words
4000 IELTS Words
5000 Oxford Words
3000 Common Words
1000 TOEIC Words
5000 TOEFL Words
Legendas (194)
0:00
Right now, you are probably part of a massive multi-billion dollar lawsuit
0:04
against Valve… and you didn’t even know it. A UK tribunal greenlit a massive class-action
0:10
case where millions of gamers are suing Valve, accusing the company of
0:14
illegally overcharging players. If it succeeds, the fallout could change PC gaming… forever.
0:20
I’m Josh, and on today’s episode of The Infographics Show, we’re
0:23
explaining why the UK is suing Valve. So, who actually brought this case?
0:28
The case was filed by Vicki Shotbolt on behalf of roughly 14 million UK Steam users.
0:34
Any Valve user over 13 who made purchases between June 4th, 2018, and June 4th, 2024,
0:40
is affected by this opt-out class-action lawsuit. That means you could be literally suing Gabe
0:45
Newell and the Steam team right now unless you actively opt out.
0:50
Shotbolt, by her own admission, isn’t a gamer. She’s a digital rights activist,
0:55
and that’s the basis of her case. She alleges that UK customers have paid more than they should for
1:00
PC games and add-ons on Steam, arguing that Valve has abused its dominant market position
1:06
How so? Well, the lawsuit claims
1:08
Valve charges excessive prices for games on Steam. The platform takes a commission on every sale,
1:14
usually between 20 and 30% depending on revenue. This cost is passed on by the
1:18
developers to users in the form of higher prices. 2 Shotbolt says this commission is excessive,
1:24
driving up prices for gamers and inflating Valve’s profits. But the fee is only
1:28
excessive if you’re not getting anything in return. Some PC gamers would argue,
1:33
Steam puts that extra cash to good use. Steam isn’t a monopoly because it’s crushed
1:38
other platforms. It dominates the competition simply because it’s the superior product. As
1:43
Valve - and many gamers and developers - argue, these commissions fund innovative,
1:47
useful features like the Steam Deck. The lawsuit challenges Steam’s “Price
1:51
Parity Obligations” for developers looking to put their games on the platform.
1:55
These rules stop developers from selling their games anywhere else unless the price
2:00
is the same or higher. The lawsuit claims Valve secretly enforces them across all other online
2:06
and physical stores, not just Steam Key sales. The lawsuit also claims this lets Valve maintain
2:12
its monopoly on PC games by removing any incentive for gamers to shop around. That,
2:17
in turn, stops rivals from developing and competing fairly with Steam.
2:21
Thirdly, the lawsuit targets Steam’s rule that developers can’t sell add-ons or DLC
2:26
on other platforms at a lower price or earlier than on Steam.
2:30
The law firm leading the case, Milberg London LLP, previously filed a $6.7 billion claim
2:36
against Sony PlayStation. They say Valve limits rivals’ ability to compete on price,
2:41
letting Steam charge consumers higher prices. It’s their belief that the game
2:45
and the DLC are separate products, but Steam’s restrictions force players to buy both on Steam,
2:50
paying the high commission in the process. They say Valve has illegally tied these products
2:55
together, limiting consumer choice in the process. 3 The average consumer doesn’t like monopolies or
3:01
being exploited by them. Nobody wants to pay more than they should because of monopolistic policies.
3:06
So, on the surface, the case has its merits. Shotbolt and her lawyers genuinely believe
3:11
they’ve brought this case against Steam in the best interest of the platform’s users.
3:15
On their website, they emphasize that the lawsuit isn’t meant to end Steam or hurt gamers. “This
3:21
claim does not want to, and is not about, shutting down Steam or restricting gamer access to the
3:25
platform in any way,” it states. But for gamers, this case is
3:29
likely to make things much worse, not better. It could break a system that gamers desperately
3:34
want to keep intact. Steam didn’t become dominant by suffocating or buying out competitors. There’s
3:39
nothing stopping gamers from using alternative platforms. In fact, most gamers would probably
3:44
welcome competition for Steam. But there isn’t any.
3:47
Epic Games Store, Good Old Games (GOG), and publisher-specific launchers like EA App and
3:53
Ubisoft Connect just can’t compete with Steam. They don’t come close.
3:57
So, gamers have voted with their wallets and their launchers to create a monopoly out of Steam.
4:02
Neither Steam nor anyone else forced them to. But this lawsuit intends to break the features
4:07
that have given Steam an edge. Users don’t feel like they’re trapped under an exploitative
4:11
monopoly. They feel like they’re getting good value for their money, even if it does cost a
4:16
bit more to buy games than it normally would. It’s an important point, especially when you
4:20
think about how big the payout could be if the case succeeds
4:23
The case is demanding an estimated £656 million in compensation from Valve. Around $899 million.
4:31
If it succeeds, each member of the class action could get a refund of
4:35
just £22 to £44, or around $30 to $60. 4 That’s enough to pick up an extra game
4:42
or two… maybe some DLC. But when you look at the likely fallout, it’s hardly a win.
4:47
It’s a massive price for Steam users to pay. People are willing to pay more for a
4:51
higher-quality product because of the benefits it offers compared
4:54
to a cheaper option. And that’s exactly the case with Steam, compared to its competitors.
4:59
Epic Games Store, or EGS, already proved this. They tried to undercut Steam by charging
5:04
developers a 12% commission. That’s a 60% discount compared to Steam’s 30%. They also tried to make
5:11
some games available at much cheaper prices. The result? Gamers hated it.
5:16
That’s because there’s much more to Steam than just a games store.
5:19
As Adrian Chmielarz, the lead developer of Witchfire, put it, “EGS is a shop,
5:24
and Steam is a community…. EGS [is] not home to them,” he explained. “They don’t have written
5:29
reviews… the forums. There’s nothing to do there but to buy… that will always lose to
5:35
a shop that is also emotional.” Steam has years of development
5:38
behind it. EGS has lagged in adding basic features. Gifting was only added in 2025.
5:44
Steam’s longevity and stability gives users confidence it won’t suddenly disappear or
5:49
revoke licenses. Epic Games Store, on the other hand, has faced criticism over account bans,
5:54
poor support, and data privacy issues. Developers and gamers are wary of EGS’s
5:59
use of timed exclusivity deals, where games are hosted only on EGS for a set period after release
6:05
Witchfire started life under a one-year EGS exclusive deal. Adrian Chmielarz admits the
6:11
deal saved his studio, taking the game from prototype to viral sensation. But
6:16
the real benefits came after the exclusivity ended and Witchfire was released on Steam.
6:21
Steam’s huge user base - and the trust players have in the platform - makes
6:24
that possible. On EGS it’s almost impossible. Witchfire has already racked
6:29
up more than 500,000 downloads, and counting. It’s one of the major issues with the lawsuit.
6:34
It aims to make Steam's rivals more competitive. But what’s the point if they just aren’t as good?
6:40
Then there’s the elephant in the room. 5 Steam offers a bigger library of
6:43
games and add-ons than any of its rivals. And it’s all in one place.
6:48
Steam offers over 100,000 titles, with over 18,800 new games added in 2024 alone. By comparison,
6:55
EGS offers around 4,000 games - including free titles - with just 1,100 new releases
7:00
in 2024. That’s 25 times fewer total games and 15 times fewer new ones than Steam.
7:08
That’s Steam’s main rival. The comparison with others is
7:11
even bigger. Ubisoft Connect only has around 100 games on offer, mostly its own products.
7:16
This is a huge part of what makes Steam the go-to platform for gamers. And that’s exactly
7:21
what the lawsuit threatens. Neither Valve nor Steam
7:24
gamers are taking this lawsuit lying down. A growing number of UK gamers have contacted the
7:29
lawyers to opt out of the lawsuit and stand with Valve. The public backlash was so intense that
7:35
Vicki Shotbolt and her team had to dramatically tone down the messaging on their website.
7:40
The original homepage header accused Valve of ‘rigging the PC games market’
7:45
and deliberately ‘shutting out competition.’ That was later softened to a more neutral question:
7:50
‘Is Steam fair?’ It’s a big step down.
7:54
The original website also painted Valve as actively anti-competitive and deliberately using
7:59
its position to harm rivals and consumers. It now frames Steam as a platform whose
8:03
practices “may” violate competition law. It’s clear the tech world is shifting fast
8:08
and we’ve covered the stories that matter, from hidden battles to major shakeups. Make
8:12
sure to like, share and subscribe to stay on top of the full story.
8:16
Valve tried to get the case dismissed on technicalities, but the court ruled in
8:20
late January 2026 that the case could proceed. Valve says Shotbolt and her team didn’t show
8:25
how its so-called Platform Parity Obligations, or PPOs, affected prices and competition. They also
8:32
pushed back on the class definition, especially when it comes to kids. After all, kids using Steam
8:37
can’t legally opt in or out, which makes it tricky to claim 14 million UK users are represented.
8:43
Valve also argued that PPOs weren’t really enforced and couldn’t count as abusing a
8:48
dominant market position under UK law. They even questioned whether Shotbolt could afford the case,
8:54
despite her securing £18.6 million, or about $24.9 million, in litigation funding
9:00
That’s not how the court saw it at all. The Competition Appeal Tribunal, or CAT,
9:05
rejected Valve’s arguments. The court ruled that a revised class definition, excluding under-13s,
9:11
solved the opt-out concerns. But more importantly, it decided the debate over the PPOs’ effects
9:17
wasn’t something to dismiss… It was a matter for trial.
9:20
5 So, Valve is going to court. And the result could change
9:24
gaming as we know it… and not for the better. If Valve is forced to lower its 30% commission
9:29
rate, it would lose a major source of revenue. They would have to find other ways to monetize
9:33
its platform. That would mean new fees for games, such as subscriptions or higher transaction fees.
9:39
And that commission is currently what funds the development of Steam features, customer support,
9:44
and backend infrastructure. Lowering the commission would almost certainly lead
9:47
to a slowdown in new features and lower the quality of the platform.
9:51
Developers would also feel the pain, especially the little guy.
9:55
For small and indie developers, that 30% commission isn’t just a fee. It’s
9:59
the cost of accessing a massive suite of tools like Steamworks, Steam Cloud saves,
10:03
and community hub. Plus, it gives them entry to Steam’s built-in audience of millions.
10:08
If Valve's income is squeezed, look out. It might start charging developers
10:13
separately for these services. As the barrier to entry rises, the financial
10:17
risk for smaller studios goes up, meaning fewer experimental, niche, or indie games get made.
10:23
Having fewer games to choose from would affect most gamers,
10:26
even if they end up paying less for the games still being made. Eliminating a large chunk of
10:31
Valve’s commissions would put the brakes on the company’s rollout of projects like the Steam Deck,
10:35
which has expanded the PC gaming market. If the lawsuit succeeds, Valve would have
10:40
to play it safe. Groundbreaking hardware or software without an immediate payoff
10:45
could be scaled back… or even shelved. It’s hard to see how gamers benefit from this.
10:49
6 But the thing gamers might dislike most are the challenges to Valve’s rules tying in-game
10:55
purchases and DLC to Steam. Remove those rules, and developers could start selling DLC or running
11:00
in-game stores on their own websites. It would be the average Steam gamers
11:05
nightmare. A fragmented experience. Imagine not being able to carry your friends
11:10
list and game progress between a Steam version and one you bought on EGS or GOG. You could end
11:16
up with the base game on one platform and the DLC on another with no way to connect them.
11:21
And there’s the rub. If Valve is forced to drop the PPO,
11:25
publishers like EA, Ubisoft, and Microsoft are likely to pull their games off Steam.
11:30
You’d be forced to use multiple launchers, constantly jumping from one platform to another.
11:34
All for a settlement that won’t buy you much more than a burger and fries.
11:38
That unmatchable unified PC gaming library will die.
11:42
What makes this whole scenario so frustrating is that the case isn’t coming from people who
11:47
hate gaming or want to punish Steam. It’s not coming from a rival platform trying to
11:52
grab a bigger piece of the market. It's coming from someone who you’d
11:55
probably think was on the side of gamers. Remember we said Vicki Shotbolt is a digital
12:00
rights activist? She’s spent years campaigning for children’s safety online. She’s also the
12:05
founder and CEO of Parent Zone, an organization that helps families and global brands improve
12:10
kids’ lives online. Her expertise lies in understanding how digital platforms interact
12:14
with consumers – particularly young people – and what fair, safe engagement looks like.
12:20
Her intentions, by and large, seem honorable. She views the gaming industry as a “vital
12:25
part of the ecosystem” and has acknowledged that games are important for socializing and
12:29
enjoyment. She’s even on record calling Steam “a fantastic platform from a gamer's point of view.”
12:35
7 In her quest to save gamers from what she sees as an oppressive monopoly,
12:39
she might end up killing the only gaming platform that actually works.
12:43
If you’re sitting in the U.S., you may be thinking, “This is irrelevant
12:46
to me. It’s a U.K. problem.” That would be a huge mistake.
12:49
The ramifications of this case ripple way beyond the UK, and way beyond gaming.
12:54
Valve has been fighting a very similar case in the U.S., which was filed in 2021 and is
12:59
still ongoing. While U.S. and UK competition laws aren’t the same, a strong UK ruling could
13:05
give American lawyers the power, evidence, and economic analysis they need to win their case.
13:10
Valve would be in the crosshairs…not just in the U.S., but around the world.
13:14
The UK is increasingly seen as “one of the most important global jurisdictions
13:18
for competition class actions”. If Valve loses in the UK, claimants in other countries would
13:24
be encouraged to file similar cases, heaping on the pressure. Steam would have to make the
13:29
changes demanded by the UK worldwide just to avoid bad press and even more lawsuits.
13:35
But the fallout from the case could also go well beyond gaming.
13:38
The same UK court, the CAT, is processing a number of collective actions against Google.
13:43
The Epic Games Inc. v Alphabet Inc. representing about 2,200 UK app developers, and the Elizabeth
13:49
Coll collective action have been combined into a single trial, set for September 2026
13:55
This case, and Valve’s, follows hot on the heels of a landmark judgement made
13:59
by CAT in October 2025 against Apple. This is a crucial development with regards the Valve case,
14:06
because it won on many of the same arguments being made against Valve.
14:10
So, the legal framework for a case against Valve has now been set.
14:13
If the case against Valve is successful, Google’s defense will also be in serious
14:18
trouble. And the same applies to every digital platform in any industry operating
14:22
behind a “walled garden”-type business model. 8 The Apple judgment sent a clear message that
14:27
major platforms can’t use security, quality control, or user experience
14:31
as excuses for unfair rules or high fees. Even if players don’t mind or even like it.
14:38
And when it came to that controversial 30% commission, the UK tribunal ruled it
14:42
was unlawfully excessive and unfair. It’s a massive legal precedent that
14:46
threatens Steam's identical 30% cut Of course, Google and Apple are both
14:50
bona fide monopolies that regularly use their size and power to their advantage,
14:55
often at the expense of their users. Steam isn’t.
14:59
Like the Google and Apple cases, the Valve lawsuit is about what counts as monopolistic
15:03
behavior. But this time, it’s being brought on behalf of gamers. Even though many of them don’t
15:08
actually mind Valve’s practices. Millions of gamers are in the
15:11
dark about this. But you do. What happens next could send
15:14
shockwaves through the entire gaming industry. It’s not just tech giants under the microscope,
15:19
game development is feeling it too. Watch ‘Why GTA 6 Is Taking FOREVER To Make (Grand Theft Auto VI)’
15:24
to see why Rockstar is under so much pressure to deliver. Or click on this video instead.
