The plaintiff's law firm filed a class action lawsuit. valveIt accused the company of using illegal gambling tactics through the loot box system available in some Valve games. The lawsuit alleged that Valve knowingly profited from consumers, including children, through money the company made selling loot boxes.
Valve is not only the company behind the popular PC store Steam, but it is also the creator of a variety of games, including: dota 2, team fortress 2and counterattack series. In addition to its gaming IP, Valve is also the creator of the popular Steam Deck portable system, which allows Steam users to play a variety of PC titles on the go. Although Steam Deck stocks have become difficult to replenish, Valve is also working on Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and a new Steam Controller. The Steam Machine, frame, and controller are all scheduled for release in 2026, but exact pricing and release date information is unknown at the time of this writing.
A Valve employee left a negative review of Half-Life 2 on Steam.
Fans of Half-Life 2 have discovered a negative review of the iconic shooter left by an employee who works for the creator on Steam.
Valve faces legal scrutiny in its home country
Weeks after New York Attorney General Leticia James sued Valve over its loot box system, another law firm has filed a lawsuit against the PC gaming giant. Seattle-based Hagens Berman law firm filed a consumer lawsuit against Valve in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. According to a 32-page court filing filed by Hagens Berman, some of Steam's most popular games include: dota 2 and counter strike 2There are built-in loot boxes that players can purchase. in counter strike 2Loot box prices and the keys used to open them may vary. While newer items, including the Kilowatt Case Key, sell for as low as $2.49, older and rarer items often sell for over $1,000 on the Steam Marketplace. The lawsuit alleged that Valve's loot box system constituted gambling, which is illegal under Washington state law. The lawsuit aims to recover damages caused by Valve's loot boxes and, if successful, force Valve to cease and desist from operating all loot boxes.
Hagens Berman law firm added that Valve's loot boxes were created to “extract money from consumers, including children, through deceptive casino-style psychological tactics.” Hagens Berman founder and managing partner Steve Berman said, “We believe that Valve intentionally designed its gambling platform to profit enormously. Consumers played these games for entertainment, unaware that Valve had already stacked the odds against them. We plan to hold Valve accountable and put our money back in consumers' pockets.”
Cases for loot boxes continue to grow.
Concerning the legality of loot boxes, some countries have taken steps to ban them from video games. In Brazil, a ban on loot boxes is set to come into effect later this month after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signs the law into law in September 2025. Brazil, along with Belgium and the Netherlands, plans to regulate loot boxes within its borders. Valve is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and is therefore subject to state law. As of this writing, the Hagens Berman lawsuit demands that the loot box case against Valve be decided through a future jury trial. However, it is unclear whether the loot box lawsuit against Valve will proceed in Washington.
Considering that Hagens Berman's lawsuit was just filed against Valve, it's currently unclear whether the case will move to a jury trial, or whether the matter will be resolved or dismissed entirely. Valve's lawyers recently won a patent troll lawsuit in Washington state, but it remains to be seen how the PC gaming giant will defend its loot box practices on two fronts.
Source: Insider Games
