Gabe Newell was obliged to appear for a personal deposition in connection with an antitrust case

According to information published on GamesIndustry.biz, in a statement dated November 16 in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, Wolfire Games asserted that Gabe Newell possesses unique knowledge to explain all aspects of Valve's business strategy.

The purpose of the in-person deposition is to thoroughly assess the credibility of Newell's testimony.

Initially, reports indicate that Newell requested a remote deposition due to concerns related to COVID. However, the court rejected this request, citing insufficient evidence presented by Newell regarding specific vulnerability to severe illness.

This pertains to an antitrust lawsuit filed by Wolfire Games in 2021, alleging that Valve employs antitrust practices on the Steam platform.

The lawsuit argues that Valve's 30% commission on each purchase signifies that the company used its "dominant position to take an excessively high percentage of practically every sale through its store" and abused its position to "exploit publishers and consumers."

In November 2021, the lawsuit was dismissed by a US District judge who stated that the lawsuit "did not contain sufficient facts to plausibly allege harm from anticompetitive actions in this market."

However, at that time, the court mentioned that Wolfire Games could file a new lawsuit if they addressed the missing facts, which they reportedly did in 2022.