Sony is accused in a $7.9 billion lawsuit over its pricing policies on PlayStation Store. It is claimed that the PS5 manufacturer is limiting competition.
A lawsuit filed last year alleging Sony overcharged players on the PlayStation Store is ongoing in the London Courts. PS5 manufacturer Sony has been accused of using its platform to rip off players. The court decided to continue the case, despite Sony’s objections. If the case is concluded against Sony, a total compensation of $7.9 billion may be paid to players in the UK.
Sony Failed to Defend $7.9 Billion Lawsuit Due to Pricing Policy on PlayStation Store
The lawsuit, which started in August, claims that Sony limits competition by taking a 30% commission from sales on PlayStation Store and that this situation is not reflected on consumers. Sony sought to have the case dismissed, but the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CMA) rejected the application, ruling against the platform owner, stating that the complaint “had a reasonable basis for the allegations/was likely to succeed at trial”.
You May Be Interested In: New PS5 Model Introduced
The case, filed by consumer rights lawyer Alex Neill, will continue, focusing on the arguments of both sides. There’s no allegation that Sony is secretly manipulating prices here, but the focus of the case is on anti-competitive fee demands, a common practice for modern gaming platforms. Allegedly, Sony’s failure to allow third parties to sell directly on the PlayStation Store limits competition and thus raises prices for gamers.
Similar complaints were also raised during the lawsuits filed by Epic Games against Apple and Google in the USA. Epic accused these companies of charging high commissions to anyone who wanted to do business on their platforms.
You May Be Interested In: PS Plus November Games