- Sony pays out almost $8 million to PlayStation players in the US
- It is part of a settlement on the sale of digital games from April 2019 to the end of 2023
- You should receive a payout automatically unless your PSN account has been closed
Sony is paying a nearly $8 million share to PlayStation owners in the United States as part of a settlement it reached in a California class action lawsuit over its digital game sales practices. Getting your payout should be easy, but don’t expect much to hit your bank account.
The lawsuit alleged that Sony violated US federal antitrust laws and some state laws when it “unlawfully eliminated competition and monopolized the market for Sony’s digital games” by restricting the ability of third-party retailers to sell PlayStation game vouchers – meaning they could only purchase digital games from Sony’s own digital store.
The matter was originally settled back in 2024, but some problems in the approval process have meant that a new agreement has only recently been reached. In this agreement, Sony does not admit any wrongdoing, but they agree to give the plaintiffs a share of $7,850,000.
Assuming it passes the fairness hearing in October this year, you should get your payout sometime after that.
Below you can find out if you are eligible, how to make a claim if your PSN account has been closed and how to opt out of the settlement if you wish.
How much will my payout be?
A payout of nearly $8 million seems like a lot, but after the legal fees are taken out and they’re distributed to all eligible PlayStation customers, you might be lucky to get a few bucks. It’s better than nothing, but unfortunately it’s not your big payday.
The fine should ideally be more of a deterrent for Sony to take similar actions in the future, although $8 million doesn’t seem like even the heaviest slap in the face considering PlayStation’s operating profit was $2.9 billion for last year.
How do I find out if I qualify and get my payout?
You are eligible for a settlement payment if you purchased any of the covered digital games from the PlayStation Network between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023. You can find the full official list here, but it includes games such as Dragon Quest Builders, NieR: Automata, FIFA 17, Star Wars Battlefront, The Last Of Us Remasteredand much more – so it’s probably quite likely that you’ve bought at least one title from this selection.
If you have, then you should already be automatically included in the settlement. When Sony eventually pays, your portion of the settlement will be deposited into the payment account linked to your PSN account.
The hard part will be if you have closed your PSN account or don’t have access to it for some other reason. Instead, you must find proof that you have purchased one of these games manually and then contact the PSN settlement team. You can call them at (877) 777-9145, email using [email protected], or send a letter (with your proof of purchase and current address) to PSN Digital Game Settlement, PO Box 17304, Milwaukee, WI 5321. The deadline for these manual approaches is August 20267.
Why do I want to opt out and how can I do it?
The two main reasons you might want to opt out of the settlement agreement are if you have a moral objection to the outcome, or if you plan to take Sony to court over the same issue yourself.
By taking the payout, you agree not to sue Sony in the future for this matter.
If you decide to opt out, you must do so in writing by July 2, 2026, with all the details described in Section 11 of the Official Class Action Settlement Notice.
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