Valve has commented on the lawsuit filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, which alleges that loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Team Fortress 2 allegedly accustom minors to gambling.
Following an investigation, the prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit on February 26, claiming that the company "earned billions of dollars by luring users — many of whom are teenagers or younger — into gambling-like activities".
In response, Valve stated that it does not consider the charges to be justified and is disappointed that the case has gone to court, despite attempts to explain its position to the authorities. According to the company, it began discussing the topic of virtual items and loot boxes with the Attorney General's office as early as 2023.
Valve emphasized that such "random sets" are widespread not only in video games, but also in the real world. As examples, the company cited collectible cards and Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering sets. In addition, the developer noted that items from loot boxes are purely cosmetic and do not give players advantages in gameplay.
Separately, Valve criticized the Attorney General's office's demands to change the in-game item system. According to the company, the authorities propose to prohibit the transfer of items between users. The developer believes that the ability to exchange or sell digital items is an important right of players, similar to the sale of physical collectibles.
In addition, Valve stated that some proposals would require the collection of additional personal information about users around the world — for example, to verify age or identify players from New York who use means to circumvent regional blocking. The company considers such measures excessive and potentially violating user privacy.
Valve added that it will comply with any future laws if state legislation does introduce rules for loot boxes. However, the company believes that the prosecutor's demands go far beyond the current legislation and may negatively affect players and the industry.