Wolfire Studios and Dark Catt Studios have been granted class action status for their continuing legal dispute with Valve.
A court document seen by GamesIndustry.biz shows their motion for class certification was granted by United States District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead. It transforms the antitrust lawsuit from being two developers versus the company behind Steam into a potentially much larger dispute.
According to the document, the class action will apply to any developers, publishers or individuals who paid a commission to Valve in connection with a game sale – referring to the 30% cut the Steam firm takes from each purchase – on or after January 28, 2017.
In the same order, the judge denied Valve's request to exclude the testimony of an expert, a Dr. Steven Schwartz, whom the two studios called to argue their case.
