Last year, Sony faced a lawsuit alleging that it overcharged players on its PlayStation Store through its closed gaming platform. The London Tribunal has allowed the lawsuit to proceed, despite objections from the PS5 maker. If successful, this legal action could lead to payments of up to $7.9 billion to players in the UK.
Initiated in August, the case argues that Sony's anti-competitive practices enabled it to impose a 30 percent commission on all PlayStation Store sales, rather than offering a lower rate and passing on the savings to consumers. Sony attempted to have the case dismissed, but the Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled against the platform, stating 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, and now both sides will present their arguments on its merits. It's important to note that Sony is not accused of engaging in unusual practices, such as secret price manipulation. The lawsuit focuses on a common practice among modern gaming platforms — charging fees while restricting competition. The claim suggests that by not allowing third parties to sell directly on the PlayStation Store, Sony is limiting competition and driving up prices for players.
Similar complaints have arisen in the U.S. with the Epic vs. Apple lawsuit and the ongoing Epic vs. Google court trial. Epic, the company behind Fortnite, accused the App Store and Google Play store of imposing high commissions on other businesses. To illustrate, consider the potential issues if your PC could only install Steam, and Valve's storefront was the sole means of accessing games. These arguments have faced challenges in the U.S., and it remains to be seen how the Sony lawsuit in the UK will unfold.
