Nothing more disappointing to me than seeing a game I might enjoy… and then it’s only available on PC on Epic Games store. Why can’t it be available on Epic, Xbox game store and Steam? It’s so annoying, like you have no choice but to use Epic… which I would literally do ANYTHING not to use.

  • RxBrad@infosec.pubEnglish
    32·
    17 days ago

    That would seem to be price fixing by its very definition. (EDIT: Note that I’m not making any judgment on this class action. The reality of pricing on IsThereAnyDeal would suggest that there is no such rule that prices can’t be lower outside of Steam.)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_fixing

    manufacturers and retailers may conspire to sell at a common “retail” price; set a common minimum sales price, where sellers agree not to discount the sales price below the agreed-to minimum price

    And the question is irrelevant. Other companies can still benefit from external price fixing.

    • ricecake@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      22·
      17 days ago

      Price fixing is, as your highlighted bit says, a conspiracy to not compete on prices. Valve isn’t conspiring with their competition to fix prices, nor does valve even set the price.

      The lawsuit alleges that it’s anticompetitive, not price fixing.

      I personally don’t think it’s anticompetitive , given the number of popular games that don’t use steam. I just think that epic has a worse product, which isn’t valves fault.

      • RxBrad@infosec.pubEnglish
        22·
        17 days ago

        From the actual lawsuit documents (emphasis is mine):

        Valve’s monopolization and attempted monopolization have the purpose and effect of fixing and inflating prices in the relevant market.

        EDIT: Uh… Exactly what part are we downvoting here? All I did was quote the lawsuit.