Sony could lose billions because of the prices charged on the PS Store. A collective complaint has been filed in the UK for anti-competitive practices.
Sony is risking billions. The Japanese company is indeed accused of having abused its position to overcharge the games sold on the PS Store.
Sony risks billions because of the prices charged on the PS Store
A collective complaint has just been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (British competition court) against Sony on August 19, 2022. At its head, Alex Neill, former manager of the British consumer rights association What UK. The video game juggernaut is accused of having scammed » 9 million consumers by applying a 30% commission on all purchases made on the PS Store. This includes both digital games and in-game purchases.
The complaint alleges that Sony breached local anti-competitive rules by abusing its market position to impose “unfair” terms on developers and publishers. This would then have had a direct impact on the final price for consumers. The documents claim that Sony overcharged UK gamers by £5 billion over the past six years on the PS Store.
“ With this legal action, I want to defend the millions of Britons who have been overcharged. We believe Sony abused its position and ripped off its customers explains the main plaintiff. The commissions charged to developers are particularly debated lately. Apple, Google and others are in the sights of several international regulators for similar practices. Anyway, if Sony were to lose this lawsuit, it would have to reimburse the full amount to the injured British customers, or around 5.9 billion euros.