Valve CEO Gabe Newell has been ordered to attend an in-person deposition regarding an antitrust lawsuit filed by Wolfire Games.
In an order filed on November 16 in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, Wolfire Games said Newell “is uniquely positioned to testify on all aspects of [Valve’s] business strategy” and that an in-person deposition “would allow [it] to adequately assess Newell’s credibility.”
Newell had asked for a remote deposition due to concerns regarding COVID. However, the court said Newell has presented “insubstantial evidence to suggest that he is at particularised risk of serious illness” and, as a result, has been ordered to attend the deposition in person.
The order states that all participants have to wear masks during the deposition, and that Newell must remove his mask when answering questions.
Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve in April 2021 for anti-competitive practices on Steam.
The filing centred around the 30% cut that the platform holder takes, with the developer arguing that Valve used “dominance to take an extraordinarily high cut from nearly every sale that passes through its store” and that it has used its position to “exploit publishers and consumers.”
The claim was initially dismissed in November 2021, with a US District judge arguing that the complaint did “not articulate sufficient facts to plausibly allege an antitrust injury based on that market.”
The document concluded that Wolfire Games could file another complaint addressing the highlighted issues, which it did in May 2022, as reported by Game Developer.
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