Valve Allegedly Penalizes Developers For Offering Games Cheaper Elsewhere
Originally published Jun 3, 2026
By Rebekah Valentine · Kotaku
AI-generated summary based on Kotaku · Aggregated by GamingCurve · Human-reviewed and approved on Jun 3, 2026
Key points
- Valve is accused of penalizing developers who offer games at lower prices on other platforms.
- A class action lawsuit claims Valve enforces a 'Platform Most Favored Nation' clause to maintain a monopoly.
- Examples include threats to remove games like Rainbow Six Siege and Middle-earth: Shadow of War from Steam.
- Valve denies having such policies, citing its decentralized corporate structure.
- Epic Games is not involved in the lawsuit despite facing similar issues with Apple and Google.
Valve is reportedly facing allegations in an ongoing lawsuit that it penalizes developers for offering their games at lower prices on competing storefronts. The class action lawsuit, filed in 2021 and recently covered by Bloomberg, claims Valve maintains an unlawful monopoly in the PC gaming industry by enforcing a 'Platform Most Favored Nation' clause. This clause allegedly prevents developers from offering better deals on other platforms, allowing Valve to charge a 30-percent commission on Steam sales. The lawsuit highlights examples where Valve allegedly threatened to remove games like Rainbow Six Siege and Middle-earth: Shadow of War from Steam if their publishers offered discounts elsewhere. Valve and its CEO, Gabe Newell, have denied these claims, stating the company does not have such policies in place.
Read the original story: Kotaku