As expected, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly voiced his full support for the $900 million lawsuit against Valve, which recently received approval from the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal.
The lawsuit, led by Vicki Shotbolt, accuses Valve of abusing Steam’s dominant market position. According to the claim, Steam limits publishers and developers from selling games and content at lower prices on competing stores, while also demanding refunds for users who allegedly overpaid for titles that have been cheaper elsewhere since 2018.
Valve has responded by stating that transactions outside its platform are allowed, pointing to the existence of third-party retailers that sell Steam game keys. This has made the case more complex than it initially appeared.
A Complex Legal Case Gains Momentum
Despite Valve’s defense, the Competition Appeal Tribunal — a UK government body responsible for handling market and competition-related cases — has allowed the lawsuit to move forward. This decision makes the case significantly more concrete and increases pressure on Valve.
With this key step completed, Tim Sweeney stepped in publicly to support the lawsuit, while also linking it to a broader issue he has long criticized.
Sweeney used the opportunity to once again highlight Steam’s 30% revenue cut, which developers and publishers must pay on every transaction made through the platform. According to him, this high fee is made worse by Steam’s near-monopoly position, which leaves developers with limited alternatives.
Valve, for its part, maintains that selling Steam keys on other stores is permitted. However, there are restrictions, such as the requirement to offer a “comparable offer to Steam customers,” which raises questions about how much freedom developers really have.
As a result, much will depend on how the platform’s rules are interpreted in detail. For now, the lawsuit remains active and continues to seek approximately $900 million in damages from Valve, a case that could have major consequences for the digital PC gaming market.
In other news, Epic Games Store’s user base has surged 173% to 295 million in six years, but revenue has barely grown — up just 1.6%. Despite free game giveaways boosting sign-ups, most users aren’t spending money on the platform.
