Wolfire's & Dark Catt's Lawsuit Against Steam Is Now Class Action

Wolfire's and Dark Catt's antitrust lawsuit against Steam was classified as a class action, and now the case applies not only to these two studios but to any developer who has sold their games on Steam since 2017. Wolfire and Dark Catt are appointed class representatives.

According to the ruling (via GamesIndustry), the class action status was granted by United States District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead. The document states that class action will apply to "all persons or entities who, directly or through an agent, paid a commission to Valve in connection with the sale or use of a game on the Steam platform on or after January 28, 2017." It refers to the 30% Steam takes from each purchase.

The lawsuit was filed in April 2021. Wolfire Games, an American indie studio, claimed that Valve used Steam's dominant position in the games market to suppress competition and secure a disproportionately large share of sales. For several months, the case was not updated. 

In November 2021, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice. Wolfire Games had a right to amend its complaint to address the court's concerns. In May 2022, the case was revived. Shortly after, in July 2022, it was combined with Dark Catt's antitrust filing.

Don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.