Sony Fights Back Against $7.9 Billion Lawsuit Over PlayStation Store Price Gouging
LONDON: Sony faces a class-action lawsuit of up to 6.3 billion pounds ($7.9 billion) over claims that the PlayStation maker abused its dominant position and led to unfair prices for customers, a London court ruled on Tuesday.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) was sued last year on behalf of nearly nine million people in the UK who had bought digital games or additional content through Sony’s PlayStation Store.
Consumer advocate Alex Neill, who has worked on previous campaigns, is filing a lawsuit against Sony. He says the company abused its dominant position by requiring digital games and add-ons to be bought and sold only through the PlayStation Store, charging developers and publishers a 30% commission.
The claim alleges that customers have therefore paid higher prices for games and additional content than they otherwise would have.
Sony’s lawyers claimed the case was “flawed from start to finish” and said it should be dismissed.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that Neill’s case could continue, although it said that people who had made purchases from the PlayStation Store since the case was brought in 2022 should be removed from the proposed class of claimants.
Neill said in a statement that Tuesday’s ruling was “the first step in ensuring that consumers get back what they are owed.” Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
