The popular gaming platform Steam has to answer questions.
The German Federal Network Agency has launched official investigations against the world-famous gaming platform Steam. The reason is the controversial game “Plantation Simulator”, which in its original version simulated the operation of a historical plantation. A central element of the game was to increase productivity by flogging black workers, which caused a lot of attention and criticism online.
Federal Network Agency against Steam
The developer himself first adapted the game and has since deleted it, but that doesn’t mean Valve is off the hook yet. It’s not about one game or whether it was actually illegal.
At the core of the investigation, however, is the accusation that Steam may have violated its due diligence obligations under the new European Digital Services Act (DSA).
The authority examines whether the platform has responded appropriately to user complaints and provided an easily accessible reporting process for potentially illegal content. According to the Federal Network Agency, even after the public criticism, Steam did not reveal whether the game’s content was checked or how it was decided.
Valve now has the opportunity to respond to the allegations. If the Federal Network Agency detects a violation, it can order specific measures or impose severe fines (source: Federal Network Agency).
European Union wants to take stronger action against illegal content online
The Digital Services Act, which has applied to all platforms in the EU since February 2024, obliges providers like Steam to take more consistent action against illegal content and to make their processes transparent.
The fact that the German Federal Network Agency is responsible is because Steam has named its legal representative for the European Union in Germany. The procedure was also triggered by findings from the French supervisory authority.