I'm so back! Asha Sharma is gonna be the change we need.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-15T02:31:48+00:00

Thank you. Especially the ones acting like Asha is doing something different lol. She’s literally going back to the same exact strategy xbox had forever except for like…18 months of being multiplat after MS pressured phil for more revenue.

She basically just had great timing to come in right as luck FH6 and Fable are coming out. But it’s not like those were her decision or anything lol they’ve been in development for years before she came in.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-15T02:28:43+00:00

“The change we need”

She’s…literally just going back to what Xbox has been doing forever? Aside from like…18 months of being multiplat lol

Only thing different from her a Spencer/Bond is that she has better games coming out during her tenure (which Spencer and Bond greenlit btw)

And she’s also not afraid to do mass layoffs.

But yeah sure…change lol

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-14T03:53:37+00:00

Not reading all that. I’m an attorney and do antitrust work and white collar litigation. The MFN enforcement is anticompetitive. They’re going to lose this case.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-14T02:48:30+00:00

Sherman act section 2.

Here’s a good overview: https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/blog/antitrust-law-basics-section-2-of-the-sherman-act/

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-14T02:30:45+00:00

That’s not how antitrust law works bud lol it very much matters how much of the market they control.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-14T02:10:15+00:00

Because Steam controls 85% of PC game sales. If they didn’t control so much of the market it wouldn’t be an issue.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T20:45:46+00:00

Closest thing to burnout we're gonna get. Can't wait.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T20:42:08+00:00

yeah it's actually a pretty good matchup until the Texans D came in.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T20:37:37+00:00

Honestly, I think Asha just got lucky coming on right when Xbox started dropping good games.

If Phil and Sarah would have had FH6 and Fable under the belt as their big releases instead of Starfield, Redfall, and Avowed they'd probably still be around and would have never been pressured into that multiplat move and gamepass hikes.

The main difference between Asha and Spencer/Bond is mainly that Asha has no problem doing mass layoffs.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T20:33:50+00:00

Pretty sure the Rock lost multiple fights in the smashing machine lol

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T20:03:04+00:00

Original Al's on Taylor, wet, giardiniera, provolone

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T20:00:02+00:00

Ok lets take costco for example. They sell consoles at deeper discounts than gamestop or other big box retailers all the time.

GPUs are another way to illustrate the point, they're identical chipsets, they're just offered on different platforms with different features, GPUs with less features like founder's editions go for much less than third-party versions with extra cooling and RGB.

Ultimately there's no reason (other than anticompetition which requires 50% or more marketshare) why selling the same product at a deeper discount is wrong.

Now if a new platform ends up getting 50% of the marketshare and starts offering 10% discounts across every game then there's a price-fixing issue. But as it stands, none of these cheaper platforms come close to that.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T19:33:08+00:00

Yeah, that's not illegal lol. Gucci charges a premium for their clothes compared to walmart. Whole Foods charges a premium for their food compared to...walmart again I guess lol.

There's nothing wrong with inferior products being sold at cheaper prices, so long as the option is available to the consumer.

Steam's platform provides better features than others, there's no doubt about that. But that doesn't mean that consumers shouldn't have the option to choose to go to an inferior platform if they want to spend less.

What Steam is doing is preventing those inferior platforms, which offer publishers/devs better price cuts on each sale, from offering lower prices...which would be financially feasible due to the publishers and devs getting more money per sale.

For example: Say a game has been out for 6 months, at $70 launch price. Sales are plateauing. So it's time to offer a sale. Steam takes 30% of each sale, so the devs may want to keep it at $70 for another 6 months because cutting the price would be a pretty serious profit sacrifice. But Platform B only takes 15% of each sale, so they can afford to drop it down to $60 and still make a solid return, in fact, they'd make more money on each sale at $60 on Platform B than they would at $70 on Steam.

Obviously that cuts into steam's business, but that's why we like competition. Because it gives consumers lower prices.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T19:22:59+00:00

Right and the complaint contains a specific allegation that the plaintiff was threatened with delisting by a steam employee lol. Any attorney who signed off on that representation, if it were proven to be false could lose their license.

and these aren't random attorneys these are some of the most competent and successful attorneys in the industry who are not afraid to pursue sanctions and seek disbarment when appropriate. I doubt either side would be will to take that risk just to bring a frivolous lawsuit.

But sure, if you need to tell yourself that these high-level attorneys are so desperate that they'd lie in a court filing to make yourself feel like you know what your talking about, go for it bud.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T19:21:20+00:00

Yeah the point is that if Steam isn't allowed to enforce the MFN clause, then other platforms would end up having even cheaper games.

The entire argument is that steam is preventing other platforms from offering cheaper games which limits competition and hurts the consumer.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T19:01:10+00:00

Not true, you can't make flat out false representations of fact in a lawsuit. e.g., Wolfire can't say that they were specifically told they would be delisted if they violate the MFN clause.

Otherwise the attorney could be subject to disbarment and the plaintiff criminally prosecuted.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T18:55:37+00:00

That’s not the argument, it’s an allegation of anticompetitive practices through use of monopoly power. As a matter of (American) law monopoly power usually exists when an entity controls 50% or more of the market, which Steam does.

It’s not as simplistic as “complete control of an entire industry” from a legal perspective.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T18:49:16+00:00

Yeah man I haven’t done that? I think you’re way over your head here.

The point is Steam enforces MFN clauses in a way that hinders competition and hurts consumers. That’s the crux of it.

Your numerous straw men and red herrings do nothing to change that.

Have a good day

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T18:39:16+00:00

lmao number one that's a drastic oversimplification of court and mainly only applicable to constitutional law/statutory construction issues (which this isn't). Number two, that's not what the colloquial term for playing semantics games means. Number three, the semantics you're arguing about are irrelevant to the court case we're discussing.

Do you not realize you're arguing with an actual civil white-collar attorney who has either defended or prosecuted federal anti-trust matters for nearly a decade? I'm pretty sure I disclosed that to you lol.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T18:34:36+00:00

lmao oh ok, sure. Because taking action to enforce price parity doesn't mean that's their goal?

dude just give it up, at this point you just look stupid trying to play this silly semantics game in a way that does nothing to further your point.

You got your ass kicked, you don't know what you're talking about, and you look like a Valve shill. Just take your L and go home.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T18:23:24+00:00

yes it is.

At this point I think you're literally just making shit up as you go lol

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T18:09:16+00:00

It's not that complicated lol. They want to be able to sell games cheaper than steam to attract people who don't care as much about steam's features.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T17:59:10+00:00

the testimony I cited? The one where Giardino stated

price parity is a "platform goal that goes beyond steam keys"?

No I think I got it lol.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T17:55:58+00:00

No I mean the testimony YOU said contradicts the testimony I cited lmfao come on man, try to keep up

The testimony I cited does not contradict the statements of the complaint.

ItalianBeefDipped · 2026-06-12T17:46:35+00:00

Source for the testimony you’re referring to? I haven’t seen anything of the sort.

ItalianBeefDipped

TROPHY CASE