Summary
- The US District Court rejected Gabe Newell's request for a remote deposition in the Steam antitrust case with Wolfire Games.
- Steam's popularity has led to Valve facing multiple antitrust controversies in the past, including previous legal battles with Wolfire Games.
- Steam's pricing policy changes have resulted in significant price hikes in multiple regions, causing significant controversy for the platform.
The US District Court presiding over the Steam antitrust case with developer Wolfire Games has rejected Gabe Newell's request to submit a remote deposition. Since the platform's release twenty years ago, Steam has grown into arguably the most popular online gaming marketplace in the world, boasting tens of millions of active users. The marketplace's success has led to Valve becoming a household name within the gaming industry, even launching the Steam Deck as a portable Steam console. However, Steam's popularity has not come without a fair share of controversy.
Among the biggest complaints against Steam from many developers is the ubiquitous nature of Steam as a platform. Many developers have claimed that Steam's popularity leads the developer to take larger cuts from individual developers releasing games on Steam, citing the massive install base of the marketplace. Valve has been the subject of multiple antitrust controversies in the past, including Wolfire Games' previous lawsuit against Steam in 2021. Now, a new legal complaint from Wolfire Games is heating up with Gabe Newell set to testify.
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As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, a recently filed order from the US District Court for the Western District of Washington has officially ruled that Valve president Gabe Newell must attend an in-person deposition. Newell had previously submitted a request for a remote deposition, citing concerns related to the COVID-19 virus. The request was subsequently rejected with the court suggesting Newell provided "insubstantial evidence" for fear of any heightened risk due to the virus. The order did cite that all participants within the deposition would be required to wear masks
The newest legal involvement between Wolfire Games and Steam would not be the first time the Overgrowth developer has gone after Valve on antitrust charges. The newest legal battle originated with an April 2021 lawsuit from Wolfire, alleging that Steam's 30% cut of earnings "uses dominance to take an extraordinarily high cut" from games sold through the store. The initial lawsuit from Wolfire Games was dismissed in November 2021, allowing the developer to file another complaint in May 2022.
With Wolfire Games once again going after Steam in court, changes to Steam's pricing policy have recently seen prices go up significantly in multiple regions. Steam rolled out a new policy to address fluctuating currency in several countries earlier this week, with Argentina and Turkey seeing price hikes on Steam as high as 4,300%. The platform does offer the ability to individually price games in different regions, suggesting the price increases may not be permanent. Steam's newest legal battles look to find the massively popular platform once again embroiled in controversy.
Steam is a digital video game storefront and program developed by Valve that allows gamers to purchase, play, and mod their titles all through one convenient program.
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