A class action was brought by a plaintiff's law firm against Valveand accuses 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 from consumers, including children, through the money the company had made 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 2and 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. Although Steam Deck stocks 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 slated to launch sometime in 2026, though exact pricing and release date information remain unknown at the time of writing.
A Valve employee left a negative review for Half-Life 2 on Steam
Fans of Half-Life 2 have discovered a negative review of the iconic shooter left by an employee working for the Steam creator.
The valve is facing legal scrutiny in its home state
Weeks after New York Attorney General Leticia James sued Valve over its loot box system, another law firm has joined the legal battle against the PC gaming giant. A consumer lawsuit has been filed against Valve by Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. According to Hagens Berman's 32-page court document, some of Steam's most popular games, e.g. Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2have loot boxes built into them that players can purchase. IN Counter-Strike 2the price of a loot boxes and the keys used to open them can vary. While more current items sell for cheap, including Kilowatt Case Keys for $2.49, older and rarer items often sell for over $1,000 on the Steam Marketplace. The lawsuit claimed that Valve's loot box system constitutes gambling, which is illegal under Washington law. The lawsuit seeks to recover damages from Valve's loot boxes, as well as force Valve to cease and desist from all loot box operations if successful.
Law firm Hagens Berman 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 that Valve deliberately developed its gaming 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 the money back into consumers' pockets.”
The case against Loot Boxes continues to grow
Regarding the legality of loot boxes, some countries have taken steps to ban loot boxes in video games. A ban on loot boxes will go into effect 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. Because Valve is based in Bellevue, Washington, the company is subject to state law. As of this writing, the Hagens Berman lawsuit has called for the loot box case against Valve to be decided via a jury trial in the future. However, it remains to be seen whether 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 case will be settled or dismissed outright. Although Valve's lawyers recently won a patent troll lawsuit in Washington state, it remains to be seen how the PC gaming giant will fare in defending its loot box practices on two fronts.
Source: Insider Gaming
