Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has voiced his support for the massive lawsuit against Valve that was recently cleared to proceed by a UK court. Valve is accused of abusing its dominant position in the PC gaming market and inflating prices on Steam.
According to Sweeney, Steam remains the only major digital storefront that still restricts payment options and forces developers to rely on its own payment system. He pointed out that Apple and Google used similar policies in the past, but courts ruled them unlawful and required changes.
«Steam’s rules do explicitly prohibit games from steering players to competing purchase methods, forcing everyone to pay 30% to Valve», — Sweeney said.
He added that developers on iOS and Android are now free to direct users to alternative payment methods, while Valve is still «holding onto the payments tie and 30% junk fee».
Sweeney also argued that while a store can charge a fee for selling a product, it should not be allowed to force all post purchase in game transactions to go through its platform. He compared the situation to a car dealership demanding a cut from every fuel purchase made after buying a car.
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