Valve's PC gaming platform, Steam, has faced ongoing antitrust scrutiny in recent years. According to a report from Bloomberg, Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell recently denied allegations that Steam is monopolizing the market in related court filings, emphasizing that players actually have "plenty of choices" within the PC and console gaming markets.
The report indicates these statements stem from an ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Valve. Plaintiffs accuse the Steam marketplace of holding an illegal monopoly in the digital PC gaming industry, leveraging its dominant position to influence publishers and player choices. Valve, however, denies any wrongdoing, with Newell refuting these claims in his testimony.
"Customers have plenty of choices," Newell further stated, pointing out that players can decide where to purchase games, whether on Xbox, Steam, the Epic Games Store, or directly from software developers, and are not limited to transacting solely through Steam.
Steam has long been considered the most prominent platform in the PC digital games market. Bloomberg noted that Steam's user base has grown by approximately 60% over the past five years, with about 42 million players concurrently active on the platform at any given time. Due to its immense influence, Valve has frequently faced questions over the years regarding whether it wields excessive market power.
Beyond the platform's scale controversy, Newell also denied that Valve requires third-party developers or publishers to avoid offering lower prices on other digital storefronts. He stated in his testimony that Valve "does not have or enforce any policy or practice that requires third-party software developers to price their games on other platforms," adding that many partners and customers are satisfied with the services Steam provides.
While competing platforms like the Epic Games Store have recently attempted to attract users with higher developer revenue shares and free games, they have yet to significantly challenge Steam's leading position in the PC market. As the lawsuit progresses, Steam's platform influence and the broader issue of competition in the digital games market are expected to remain a key focus for the industry.
via： Bloomberg