On August 16, 2024, Valve began charging Russian tax residents an additional 30% on sales in Steam within the United States. This is in addition to the standard store commission of the same 30%.
In an email to developers, Valve explained its decision by citing tax changes. The company noted that in 2023, Russia suspended certain provisions of double taxation avoidance agreements with 38 countries, including the United States. A year later, in June 2024, the U.S. authorities also announced a suspension of several points of the tax agreement with Russia — this decision took effect on August 16, 2024. Valve is obligated to comply with the authorities' directives, hence it increased the contribution rates for teams registered in Russia.
Important: Steam started withholding the additional 30% revenue only from sales in the U.S. In other regions, everything remains as is.
There have been no reports of increased contributions for Russian developers in the Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and other gaming platforms.