Steam could pay over £600m after allegedly stealing millions from PC gamers

STEAM developer Valve has been criticized for allegedly charging too much due to its monopoly on the PC gaming market.

There are several places to buy PC games online, and Steam’s biggest competition is the Epic Games Store.

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However, Steam has an overwhelming market share, with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney estimating it at around 85%.

According to a report from the BBCA lawsuit was filed in the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal against Valve, accusing it of market dominance and overcharging UK consumers.

Digital rights activist Vicki Shotbolt, who brought the case, says: “Valve is manipulating the market and taking advantage of UK gamers.”

The lawsuit alleges that Valve charges an “excessive 30% commission” and that the costs were improperly passed on to players.

This commission is how much money Valve receives for each purchase made by customers via Steam.

So for every £10/$10 purchase made via Steam, Valve will earn £3/$3 from that purchase, and the publisher or developer will earn £7/$7.

On the other hand, the Epic Games Store only charges a 12% commission on sales.

Other storefronts have variable rates. The App Store earns 30% on most purchases, but charges a smaller commission of 10-15% for smaller studios and publishers.

Google Play charges 15% for earnings under $1 million, but 30% after that.

While a 30% commission is standard for some of these services, there are often exceptions for smaller games.

Shotbolt claims the lawsuit was filed “to stop this illegal conduct and help people recover what they are owed.”

Valve is being sued for £656 million ($830 million) for allegedly overcharging its 14 million UK consumers.

Valve has not responded to the lawsuit or commented at this time.

If you want to read more about Steam, check out the games revealed at the Future Games Show.

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