The CEO of PC games giant Valve, Gabe Newell, is set to appear in court in the near future.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, a court order has demanded that the exec come in person for a deposition in Wolfire Games' antitrust case against Valve's Steam platform. This is in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle.
Newell had previously asked to be deposed remotely citing concerns related to COVID-19, but the court has deemed that he is at no risk. Senior Judge John C Coughenour, however, has asked that everyone in the court room wear a mask when Newell is conducting his deposition.
Wolfire initially filed an antitrust case against Valve back in April 2021, but this was thrown out without prejudice in November of that year after Valve filed a motion to dismiss. The developer filed another complaint in May 2022.
Wolfire claims that Valve has used its dominant position in the PC games space to "exploit publishers and consumers." In what is surely a sign of the time, the complaint is centered around the 30 per cent platform fee that Valve takes from sales on Steam.
