Games @sh.itjust.works nanoUFO @sh.itjust.works 12mo ago

Gabe Newell ordered to make in-person deposition for Valve v. Wolfire Games lawsuit

www.gamesindustry.biz Gabe Newell ordered to make in-person deposition for Valve v. Wolfire Games lawsuit

Valve CEO Gabe Newell has been ordered to attend an in-person deposition regarding an antitrust lawsuit filed by Wolfir…

Gaming @beehaw.org QuentinCallaghan @sopuli.xyz 12mo ago

www.gamesindustry.biz /gabe-newell-ordered-to-make-in-person-deposition-for-valve-v-wolfire-games-lawsuit

22 comments

The filing centred around the 30% cut that the platform holder takes, with the developer arguing that Valve used "dominance to take an extraordinarily high cut from nearly every sale that passes through its store" and that it has used its position to "exploit publishers and consumers."

Isn't 30% standard in every store? Also, Valve certainly has dominance, but it's hardly a monopoly. There are more options than any other OS.
- Yeah, surely they can point to the Epic v Apple lawsuit and also point to the ability to install Heroic or any other launcher/software on their platform, and the judge will laugh the plaintiffs out of the courtroom.
  
  I'm not a fan of the 30% cut, but that really is par for the course and any other company could compete with them on their own platform, unlike with Apple's iOS. So I see no basis here for a lawsuit.
  
  I'm guessing the plaintiffs just wanted to meet Gabe and felt this was the easiest way to get a 1:1...
  
  A developer can even sell steam legs directly from their own site and not have to pay Valve the 30% cut. (If I remember correctly.)
- Yup, I don't see how this suit ever goes anywhere. It would be a better use of time to argue that your $500 Xbox has a locked down marketplace and can't play Steam/PlayStation games.
  
  It shows that companies are regarded above customers when every console is a closed ecosystem with a single store, no sideloading support, but nobody challenges that.
- Yeah they don’t even force you to use steam on a steam deck
- Apparently this isn't standard anymore, and I can see how developers don't like it, but an antitrust lawsuit over this just seems poorly justified. For whoever doesn't want to sell on Steam under their conditions, there is Epic, GOG, Humble and ItchIO. Maybe those don't sell as well, but that's the choice the company is making.
  
  I don't think being the largest store by itself is grounds for this sort of legal action. Especially not when they became the biggest store simply by providing good services for a good price, rather than any sort of restrictions at companies publishing in it.
- It may be now; it wasn't when Steam first started up. But it was only 5-10% iirc more than the norm at the time.
  
  Do you have some examples?
  
  What other digital distribution storefronts were around when Steam started? I honestly thought they were the first but maybe they were just the first successful one after using HL2 as leverage.
Timmy's going to hire a hitman to take out Gabe because he's eternally seething at EGS failing to take market share from Steam.
- Tbh this thing sounds like that very much. It may not be an assassination attempt at all, ut the ridiculous rules to "show face when speaking so we can see how do you feel about what you say" is very much bullshit in this scenario. A proper written essay about the working of Valve would suit the questions way better than having someone put in person in a limited time to answer things out of mind under pressure.

22 comments