Sony is in trouble. Court battle looms over PlayStation Store game prices
The Japanese technology titan, Sony, finds itself on the cusp of a collective lawsuit from British consumers, who are challenging game and add-on pricing on the PlayStation Store platform. Despite arguments from Sony's legal team that the lawsuit was baseless, the case, amounting to several billion pounds, appears set to proceed, according to Reuters.
The PlayStation Store is a well-known digital marketplace that exclusively sells games and add-ons for Sony's popular gaming consoles. British gamers accuse Sony of leveraging their dominance to sell video games at elevated prices, despite reaping a 30% commission from the creators and publishers.
In 2022, a class action lawsuit was launched involving just under 9 million people against Sony Interactive Entertainment, potentially carrying a liability of approximately 6.2 billion pounds with interest, according to Reuters.
Sony's lawyers tried in vain to argue that the lawsuit was fundamentally flawed and should not proceed. However, all signs currently indicate that Sony will indeed be held accountable in a British court.
First Step Towards "Recovering Dues" from Sony
Reuters reported that the Competitive Appeal Tribunal ruled the case, in which disgruntled gamers are represented by Alex Neill of Consumer Voice, could proceed. "This is the first step towards consumers regaining what they are owed," Neill commented after the court decision.
The Tribunal has set forward some stipulations. From the list of those seeking compensation from Sony, any parties added after the lawsuit became official in 2022 will be dismissed. Membership in the case increased as more awareness was raised.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has yet to respond to Reuters' request for comment concerning the new stage of this legal skirmish.
