Recently, a player posted on the Reddit forum warning other users to opt out if they receive emails about a new class action lawsuit against Valve Corporation. The player explained, “These lawyers keep suing Valve to make hundreds of thousands of dollars, but you only get a few cents. The whole process actually harms the gaming ecosystem.”
Another user bluntly stated, “These things are scams. Even if you live in the US, you basically won’t get a penny. And… everyone knows who’s behind pushing these lawsuits.”
Currently, multiple lawsuits against Valve focus on the following points:
- Steam’s 30% revenue cut is too high, limiting developers’ income
- Valve’s price parity clause (which prohibits selling games at lower prices on other platforms) is accused of suppressing market competition
These practices are believed to cause players to spend more money while developers receive less revenue.
However, many players and industry insiders argue that Steam’s 30% cut actually provides tremendous value, including a massive user base, built-in features (such as Workshop, reviews, friends system, cloud saves, discovery algorithms, etc.). Meanwhile, platforms like Epic Games Store, which only charge a 12% commission, have a much smaller user base and poorer launcher experience.
Therefore, some speculate that this entire lawsuit is likely funded and pushed behind the scenes by Epic Games and its affiliates, aiming to weaken Steam’s dominant position in the PC game distribution market. Players are urged to stay vigilant and avoid being exploited unknowingly in such lawsuits.
