The state of New York has filed an official lawsuit against Steam developers. valveThe following games claim to have loot boxes: dota 2 Encourages illegal gambling among children. Since its founding, Valve has grown into a giant in the gaming industry. half life and team fortressWe are building one of the largest online platforms in the world. Steam boasts a massive library of over 100,000 games in its store, making it the largest marketplace for PC games by a wide margin. Valve has continued to develop its own games alongside Steam's success.
In addition to its role as the owner of Steam, Valve has released numerous popular online games. dota 2 and counter strike 2 It continues to boast strong player numbers, with a thriving competitive scene with hundreds of thousands of players logging in every day. Valve is also developing a new IP, a multiplayer shooter. deadlockCurrently, you can only play through invitations from other players who already have access to the game. Now Valve is facing a new lawsuit related to loot boxes in its games.
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Valve is being sued over loot boxes
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Valve over the company's use of loot boxes in its games. The official complaint alleges that Valve is promoting illegal gambling through loot boxes and that the boxes are being marketed to children. James argues that Valve's loot boxes are “quintessential gambling,” citing the high variance in item values while generating significant revenue from in-game mechanics. The lawsuit officially seeks compensation for players who purchased loot boxes in the following games: team fortress 2It seeks a fine equal to three times the value Valve gets from the loot boxes. Valve has had no official comment on the lawsuit.
James further attacked Valve's marketplace model for loot boxes, citing both the core systems and the implications for the Steam marketplace. The attorney general claimed the company made billions of dollars from loot boxes, citing unnamed Valve games that featured interfaces similar to slot machines. Steam Marketplace was also brought to the attention of Attorney General James, who argued that it further facilitated the resale market on the Steam Community Market, where players can sell in-game items obtained through loot boxes.
Loot boxes have been a hot topic in the gaming industry in recent years, with several states and localities lobbying against the practice. Brazil follows countries like Belgium and the Netherlands in signing a law banning gamers under 18 from purchasing loot boxes by the end of 2025. Hoyo Bus genshin impact The game was fined $20 million by the Federal Trade Commission in early 2025 in relation to its gacha mechanism for acquiring new characters within the game. EA has been fined before for its use of loot boxes.
The loot box lawsuit comes on the heels of Valve recently scoring a big win in another legal case. A Washington judge ruled in favor of Valve in its lawsuit against Leigh Rothschild, known as the “patent troll,” and his legal team over patents focused on cloud-based storage. The lawsuit was first filed by Valve in 2023 after several previous legal battles with Rothschild, and was filed as a counterclaim after Rothschild sued the company for patent infringement despite having a perpetual license to use the patented material. As the war over loot boxes intensifies, Valve's recent legal troubles could have major implications for the gaming industry.
Source: Reuters
