Sony faces uphill legal battle as $7.9 billion PlayStation Store pricing lawsuit moves forward despite dismissal efforts.
The lawsuit Sony faced last August was due to claims the PlayStation Store abused its market dominant position to overprice its customers, and today, lawmakers have refused to drop the class action suit. This means Sony is beelining towards a $7.9 billion dollar lawsuit over its unfair pricing on the UK PlayStation Store, meaning the 9 million UK-based customers affected by the alleged unfair pricing could see a light at the end of the tunnel for this issue, despite Sony’s best efforts to have the case thrown out due to the issue being “flawed from start to finish.”
Consumer advocate Alex Neill maintains the position held back in August 2022 that Sony requires developers and publishers to pay a 30% commission to have their titles listed on the marketplace. The PlayStation Store — in the dominant market position due to requiring digital games and add-ons to be bought and sold only via the Sony marketplace — allows them to charge UK residents more than what they would have paid if there were competition.
Alex Neill said, “This is the first step in ensuring consumers get back what they’re owed as a result of Sony breaking the law. PlayStation gamers’ loyalty has been taken advantage of by Sony, who has been charging them excessive prices for years,” with “We are seeking to put a stop to this unlawful conduct and ensure customers are compensated” in a statement regarding the PlayStation Store-based suit.
While this is the first step on a long journey for UK customers who allege wrongdoing by Sony, the company has yet to issue a statement regarding the update to the case as it is now moving forward to a trial that will likely cost millions for the PlayStation brand. Fans can catch up on the class action suit by heading to the Consumer Voice website for all the official details regarding the case.
