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Judge rules part of antitrust suit against Valve can continueSuit argues Steam policies stifle competition
Suit argues Steam policies stifle competition
The antitrust lawsuit against Valve can continue, a US judge has ruled. Valve had filed a motion for the case to be dismissed, but the latest ruling states that game publishers “plausibly allege” that they “suffer price and non-price injury” from Valve’s conduct related to Steam. In particular, the suit alleges that Valve use “most favoured nation” policies to prevent competition based on price.
In this case, the alleged “most favoured nation” policies relate to part of the agreement sellers sign with Valve when releasing a game on the Steam store. These policies state that publishers must offer their game on Steam for the best price it’s available elsewhere. The parties in the anti-trust suit argue this stops them from offering games cheaper elsewhere, thus stifling competition with Steam.
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The suit also alleges that Steam’s 30% fee for releasing a game on Steam is substantially more than Valve’s costs, and that this high price is maintained due to Steam’s high market share.
While the “most favoured nation” allegations will advance, other claims made as part of the suit were dismissed.
