Sony could lose billions because of the prices raised on the PS Store. A class action lawsuit alleging anti-competitive practices has been filed in the UK.
Sony is risking billions. In fact, the Japanese company is accused of abusing its position to overprice the games sold on the PS Store.
Sony is risking billions because of PS Store prices
A class action lawsuit has just been filed against Sony in the Competition Appeal Tribunal on August 19, 2022. It is headed by Alex Neill, former manager of British consumer rights group What UK. The video game juggernaut is accused of that cheated » 9 million consumers by applying a 30% commission on all purchases made on the PS Store. This includes both digital games and in-game purchases.
The complaint alleges that Sony violated local anti-competitive rules by abusing its market positi on to impose “unfair” terms on developers and publishers. This would then have had a direct impact on the final price for consumers. The documents claim that Sony has overcharged UK gamers on the PS Store by £5billion over the last six years.
« My purpose in bringing this lawsuit is to defend the millions of Britons who have been overcharged. We believe that Sony abused its position and ripped off its customers explains the lead plaintiff. The commissions charged to developers have been particularly controversial lately. Apple, Google and others are targeted by several international regulators for similar practices. Should Sony lose this process, it would have to reimburse the injured British customers for the full amount, i.e. around 5.9 billion dollars.
