Valve is Facing Another Lawsuit
A class-action lawsuit was filed by a plaintiffs’ law firm against Valve, accusing the company of using illegal gambling tactics via the loot box system offered in some of Valve’s games. The lawsuit alleged that Valve had knowingly profited off consumers, including children, through the money the company had earned by selling loot boxes.
Along with being the company behind the popular PC storefront Steam, Valve is also the creator of various games, including Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, and the Counter-Strike series. In addition to its gaming IPs, Valve is also the creator of the popular Steam Deck handheld system, which allows Steam users to play various PC titles on the go. Though stocks of the Steam Deck have become difficult to replenish, Valve is also developing the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and a new Steam Controller. The Steam Machine, Frame, and Controller are all scheduled to launch sometime in 2026, though exact pricing and release date information remain unknown as of this writing.
A Valve Employee Left a Negative Review for Half-Life 2 on Steam
Fans of Half-Life 2 have discovered a negative review for the iconic shooter left by an employee working for the Steam creator.
Valve Faces Legal Scrutiny in Its Home State
Weeks after New York Attorney General Leticia James sued Valve for its loot box system, another law firm has joined the legal fray against the PC gaming giant. A consumer lawsuit was filed against Valve by the Seattle-based Hagens Berman law firm in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. According to the 32-page court filing by Hagens Berman, some of Steam’s most popular games, including Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, have loot boxes built into them that players can buy. In Counter-Strike 2, the price of a loot boxes and the keys used to open them can vary. While more current items are sold cheaply, including Kilowatt Case Keys for $2.49, older and rarer items often sell for over $1,000 on the Steam Marketplace. The lawsuit argued that Valve’s loot box system constitutes gambling, which is illegal under Washington state law. The lawsuit seeks to recover damages from Valve’s loot boxes, as well as force Valve to cease and desist any loot box operations, should it succeed.
The Hagens Berman law firm further stated that Valve’s loot boxes were made to “extract money from consumers, including children, through deceptive, casino-style psychological tactics.” Hagens Berman founder and managing partner Steve Berman said, “We believe Valve deliberately engineered its gambling platform and profited enormously from it. Consumers played these games for entertainment, unaware that Valve had allegedly already stacked the odds against them. We intend to hold Valve accountable and put money back in the pockets of consumers.”
The Case Against Loot Boxes Continues to Grow
As for the legality of loot boxes, some countries have taken measures to ban loot boxes in video games. A ban on loot boxes is set to go into law in Brazil later this month, after Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the measure into law in September 2025. Brazil will join Belgium and the Netherlands in regulating loot boxes within its borders. Since Valve is based in Bellevue, Washington, the company is subject to the state’s laws. As of this writing, the Hagens Berman lawsuit has demanded that the loot box case against Valve be decided via a jury trial in the future. However, it remains to be seen if the loot box lawsuit against Valve in Washington will advance.
Given that the lawsuit from Hagens Berman was just filed against Valve, it is currently unclear if the case will be moved to a jury trial or if the matter will be settled or dismissed outright. Although Valve’s attorneys recently won a patent troll lawsuit in the state of Washington, it remains to be seen how the PC gaming giant will fare in defending its loot box practices on two fronts.
Source: Insider Gaming