Due to the 30% commission dispute, overseas game company Wolfire Games has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Steam platform operated by Valve. According to overseas news, the latest progress of this lawsuit, which has been going on for more than two years, is that Gabe Newell (player) has come to court. Commonly known as “G Fat”) appeared in court to provide testimony in person.
This lawsuit was originally filed in May 2021 by Wolfire Games head David Rosen in the Western Court of Washington State. They accused the Steam platform of violating antitrust laws by charging 30% of the commission, claiming that Steam already dominates the market and forces game development Players must choose the Steam platform, otherwise they will not be able to face the majority of game players.
However, the lawsuit was dismissed by the court in November of the same year, according to court documents (PDF), Judge John C. Coughenour described that Wolfire’s complaint “does not set forth sufficient facts to reasonably allege Steam for antitrust harm in this market,” and found that Wolfire’s explanation lacked Valve’s alleged coercive practices that “result in non-price competition.” Antitrust damage, that is, the decline in output and game quality” is supported by evidence.
Now comes the latest development of the case. In mid-November, the court in Western Washington Statecourt order documentthe court required Valve CEO Gabe Newell to appear in person to provide testimony, because the document mentioned that Wolfire Games stated that “Gabe Newell is uniquely positioned to provide testimony on all aspects of (Valve’s) business strategy.”
However, it is reported that Gabe Newell has requested the court in the past because he was worried about the impact of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), hoping to provide testimony via remote connection. However, the court assessed that Newell’s statement “did not provide substantial evidence that he had the disease.” Special risk of serious illness”.
In fact, Gabe Newell and his family lived in New Zealand for a long time in recent years due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
The court document finally provided relevant protection for Gabe Newell’s concerns, emphasizing that everyone in the courtroom will wear N95, KF94, and KF95 masks at all times, but he must still take off the mask when providing testimony.
