Valve has officially responded to allegations of a possible trial it will soon have to face. Developer Wolfire Games filed a lawsuit in May this year against the company, which is responsible for the Steam platform and digital store.
According to the documents of the original action, Steam is accused of being a dominant service, with anti-competitive market practices that harm competitors and bring negative consequences even for partner studios.
Among the complaints of the developer, responsible for titles such as Overgrowth and Receiver, is the “abusive” rate of 30% by Steam on any sale, an alleged interference in the price of games (whose refusal would have the consequence of taking the game from the store) and a Steam keys rule that is tied to the title price on other digital platforms.
What does Valve say?
According to the store’s manager, the 30% rate is an industry standard — although this has recently been questioned in cases like Epic Games’ judgment against Apple and reduced in the mobile world. In addition, lawyers called the threat story an “anecdote.”
The company also said that offering Steam keys to market games outside the platform is the exact opposite of anti-competitive actions, as it does something that was not even mandatory. The charges “fail to allege the most basic elements of an antitrust case,” the response reads.
The developer will now have until Aug. 30 to refute the company’s reply.
