- A lawsuit against Sony over “unfair” charges on the PlayStation Store has begun
- It accuses Sony of “exploiting” UK customers by charging higher prices at its store
- Around 12.2 million PlayStation users in the UK could be compensated for any purchases, amounting to around £2 billion in total if the case is won
A class action brought against Sony could mean millions of UK PlayStation users are entitled to a total of £2 billion in compensation for alleged unfair charges on the PlayStation Store.
As reported by Sky, the case, which has been branded ‘PlayStation You Owe Us’, was brought in 2022 by consumer campaigner Alex Neill, who accuses Sony of “exploiting its UK customers by overcharging them” for the sale of digital games and in-game content.
The lawsuit also alleges that Sony violated competition law through its control of the PlayStation Store, claiming that “Sony has a near-monopoly on the sale of digital games and add-on content”.
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As game developers are charged a 30% commission to sell their games on the PlayStation Store and Sony sets the price of games, Neill claims the price is “excessive and unfair” and 20% more than physical editions.
“The result is that Sony can and will set the retail prices for all such content even without facing any retail competition for digital content,” said Robert Palmer KC, acting for the claimant. “It allows it to obtain monopoly profits from digital distribution by setting retail prices at what it refers to as its target margin of an excessive and unfair 30% above the level of digital wholesale prices.”
He also added that gamers tend to buy digital games from the PlayStation Store, as only three of Sony’s current consoles include a disc drive.
If Neill wins the case, an estimated 12.2 million PlayStation users in the UK could be compensated for any purchases “over a period of around” 10 years (specifically between August 2016 and February 2026), amounting to around £2 billion in total, and £162 each.
Users will automatically be included in any judgment on an “opt-out” basis.
Sony has argued against the allegations, saying its distribution model is justified because allowing third-party stores to download would pose security and privacy risks.
The trial began on Tuesday March 10 and is expected to last around nine weeks before a verdict is reached.
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