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Valve
From Consumer Action Taskforce
Valve software was founded in 1996 by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington. It is owner of the popular digital software distribution service Steam. Valve additionally develops tools frequently used by various professional and amateur creators, such as Source Filmmaker and the Source Engines.
Hardware
| Hardware | Release Year | Year concluded
(if applicable) |
Background Information | Related Articles
(if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Machine[1] | 2015 | 2018 | A series of Linux machines developed by Valve and various other hardware companies. Considered a commercial failure and had all hardware discontinued by 2019. | |
| Valve Index[2] | 2019 | N/A | A VR headset line developed directly by Valve after several years of experience while collaborating with HTC for their headsets. | |
| Steam Deck | 2022 | N/A | A portable handheld console. Uses a custom Linux distribution known as SteamOS. |
Software
| Software | Release
Year |
Year Concluded
(if applicable) |
Background Information | Related Articles
(if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoldSrc | ||||
| Source | ||||
| Source FilmMaker (SFM) | ||||
| Source 2 | ||||
Legal Disputes
Steam's predominance has led to Valve becoming involved in various legal cases[3].
| Dispute Title | Year started and ended
(if concluded) |
Background Information | Aftermath | Related Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACCC v. Valve Corporation | 2014-2016 | During this lawsuit, Valve was found by the Australian court refusing to offer refunds for faulty/broken products. | Users now have the ability to easily refund games they purchased, so long as they follow the refund policy. | |
| UFC Que Choisir v. Valve Corporation | 2015-2019
(still disputed) |
UFC Que Choisir sued valve under the grounds that users deserved to resell their digital licenses. | Users in France have the right to resell their digital Steam library. | |
| McLeod v. Valve Corp.[4] | 2016-2016 | Absorbed into another legal dispute; continues to be dismissed within Seattle courts. | ||
| Sean Colvin (and various others) v. Valve Corporation, CD Projekt S.A.,
CD Projekt, Inc., Ubisoft Entertainment S.A., Ubisoft, Inc., Ubisoft L.A., Inc., kChamp Games, Inc., Rust, LLC, and Devolver Digital, Inc. [5] |
2021 - ? | 5 Gamers in California sued Valve (among various other publishers) over participating in anticompetitive behavior with the Steam platform, most notably over the sale of games for lesser prices on other platforms. | Unknown/not concluded. |
Sources
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Machine_(hardware_platform)
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valve_Index
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(service)#Legal_disputes
- ↑ https://casetext.com/case/mcleod-v-valve-corp
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/popular-gaming-platform-accused-of-abusing-market-power-through-contracts-4124057/
