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Dutch PC gamers may have paid too much for games, skins, loot boxes and other digital content, according to Consumer Competition Claims Foundation. The Dutch non-profit has opened signups for GameClaim, a consumer campaign that targets Valve over how Steam handles pricing and payments across the PC gaming market. Good to know GameClaim estimates Dutch gamers overpaid by more than €220 million. Compensation could reach more than €130 per gamer with interest, and more for high-spending players. The claim covers Steam pricing, rival PC stores, Steam Wallet payments and older regional key blocks. Steam Wallet Fees Sit At The Center Of The Complaint GameClaim does not only focus on game prices. The group also points at in-game spending after a player already owns a title. Skins, loot boxes, in-game currency and season passes all form part of the complaint. “once you've bought a game on Steam, in-game microtransactions such as skins, loot boxes, in-game currency and season passes can only be bought on Steam through the Steam Wallet. Valve again charges a commission of typically 30%, for processing those payments. If Valve allowed competition from other payment processors, that fee would be far lower.” That argument connects Steam to a wider digital consumer issue. Platform payment rules can shape what players pay long after checkout. For an iGaming audience, the link with skins and loot boxes also matters because regulators in several markets already treat game monetization and gambling-style mechanics as a consumer protection issue. Related background can sit in an internal link to iGaming.org coverage of loot boxes, digital payments or gaming regulation. GameClaim Says Steam Prices Spread Across Rival Stores The Dutch case then turns to PC game pricing across the market. Consumer Competition Claims Foundation says Steam influence means publishers cannot simply sell cheaper elsewhere, even when another store charges a lower fee. “Valve prohibits publishers and developers from offering their games more cheaply on other PC gaming platforms,” writes the CCCF, “such as the Epic Games Store, the Microsoft Store and Ubisoft Connect. It does this through a mix of contractual terms and by pressuring publishers and developers.” Steam often charges a 30% commission on sales. Valve lowers that cut to 25% after a game reaches $10 million in revenue and to 20% after $50 million. GameClaim argues publishers still build Steam costs into prices and then keep those prices across other stores, including Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store and Ubisoft Connect. Epic Games Store charges 12%, which gives the Dutch claim a clear market comparison. Valve denies the core pricing allegation. Valve president Gabe Newell said in earlier antitrust testimony: “Valve does not have a policy or practice of dictating prices to third-party software developers on other platforms.” Legal Pressure Around Steam Keeps Growing Consumer Competition Claims Foundation has invited Valve to discuss a settlement before court action. Copenhagen Economics has already started work on the damage estimate for the Dutch campaign. Early calculations put alleged overpayment above €220 million. The Dutch group also uses geo-blocking as part of its case. It says: “Valve agreed with various publishers that Steam Keys bought in Eastern Europe couldn't be activated in Western Europe,” in order “to keep lower-priced Eastern European games off the Western European market. This is called 'geo-blocking', and it's illegal.” European regulators have already dealt with that issue. In 2021, the European Commission fined Valve and five publishers over geo-blocked Steam activation keys. An EU court later upheld the decision, so GameClaim can point to existing regulatory history rather than only new allegations. Valve also faces other legal fights tied to Steam. Wolfire Games has filed an antitrust case in the US. A UK claim targets Steam pricing and commissions. Valve also faces legal claims linked to loot boxes, including a New York case over alleged illegal gambling by children and adults through loot box mechanics.

Valve

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