Valve CEO Gabe Newell is required to appear in court as part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit against Steam from Wolfire Games. The Overgrowth developer claims Steam’s 30% cut is simply unfair. It also alleges Valve is taking advantage of its dominance over the PC gaming market.
Valve’s co-founder stays out of the public eye and rarely makes physical appearances these days, hence the particular significance. Newell had initially requested the court for a remote deposition due to concerns regarding Covid. However, the court denied his request, ordering Newell to physically address the antitrust lawsuit in court.
Wolfire Games directly affected the court’s decision with an order filed on November 16. The request states that Newell is “uniquely positioned to testify on all aspects of Defendant’s business strategy.” The company also wishes to, “adequately assess Newell’s credibility.”
Nonetheless, the court concluded that Newell has not presented sufficient evidence to suggest he’s at particular risk of any serious illness. Thankfully, it did take his concerns into consideration. As a result, the court advises everyone who attends to wear a mask, although Newell must remove his while answering. It also requires participants to take rapid at-home Covid tests both the day before and again the morning of the deposition. Seems fair.
The US District Court of Western District Washington has not publicly announced when the proceedings will commence. Rest assured, we’ll keep an eye out until then.
