Sony faces $7.9 billion lawsuit over PS Store prices
It looks like the PlayStation Store could be in a spot of trouble, as a $7.9 billion lawsuit is potentially coming down on Sony for allegedly overcharging players.
22nd Nov 2023 13:20
Sony | Capcom
Sony faces $7.9 billion lawsuit over PS Store prices
It looks like the PlayStation Store could be in a spot of trouble, as a $7.9 billion lawsuit is potentially coming down on Sony for allegedly overcharging players.
22nd Nov 2023 13:20
Sony | Capcom
The PlayStation storefront might be easy enough to navigate, but that doesn't mean it's making things simple for PlayStation users themselves.
We dread to think of the legalities it takes a game company to actually land on the store itself, and given that Sony led the charge on removing Cyberpunk 2077 from sale back when it flopped onto the market in 2020, there's no telling when it'll step in and kick back.
There have been plenty of complaints about the PS Store and its pricing structure, but now, it looks like the kickback is coming for PlayStation itself. By the sounds of it, it could cost the blue team dearly.
Sony has been roped into a $7.9 billion lawsuit
Sony is up against a monster of a lawsuit that is fighting on behalf of PlayStation users, claiming that it has been overcharging for games on its storefront.
The lawsuit has developed from PlayStation's terms and conditions for developers and publishers, which points towards the gaming giant's 30% commission for sales on the PS Store. It has been alleged that the company is overcharging for games in order to bolster their claims from developers.
Reuters reports that the lawsuit has been allowed to move forward against Sony Interactive Entertainment by a London tribunal after it first made attempts to push on last year. It claims that Sony's high commission makes for the company "abusing its dominant position" and claiming more money by hiking prices beyond their reasonable position.
PlayStation's 'dominant position' lawsuit isn't new
It's likely to come as a shock to higher-ups at PlayStation, but lawsuits like this aren't entirely new. Apple famously received the same complaints over its 30% commission on the App Store, and in fact, it ended up being a central point of contention in the notorious legal battle between the company and Epic Games.
Sony apparently tried to kill the lawsuit, however, the Competition Appeal Tribunal reiterated how it "failed to establish that the [complaint] has no reasonable grounds for making the claims/no real prospect of succeeding at trial."
Consumer advocate Alex Neill brought the case for £5 billion($6.23 billion) plus interest, and the price keeps rising. Lawsuits are a-plenty in the gaming industry, but this is a new territory for Sony lawyers. Who knows - maybe the entire base of PlayStation fans could be in for a charming payout as a result.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
