According to Kotaku , a lawsuit was filed last year accusing Sony of abusing its monopoly on the PlayStation Store to charge exorbitant commissions. The London court has now allowed the case to proceed, and the PlayStation 5 maker is trying to appeal the decision, as it could result in up to $7.9 billion in compensation for UK gamers if the lawsuit is successful.
Sony sued for charging high commission fees on PlayStation Store
The case began in August 2022, when a lawsuit was filed by Alex Neill, claiming that Sony's anticompetitive practices allowed it to charge a 30% commission on all sales on the PlayStation Store, a figure that was deemed excessive. Sony attempted to dismiss the case, but the appeals court ruled that Sony had "failed to prove that the claims in the complaint were without merit."
The lawsuit is currently ongoing, with both sides arguing. To be clear, Sony isn’t being accused of doing anything shady, like secretly manipulating prices. The issue the lawsuit is facing is the same one that every modern gaming platform does: charging commissions while stifling competition. The lawsuit claims that not allowing third-party sales on the PlayStation Store stifles competition and overcharges gamers.
The case is quite similar to the Epic v. Apple lawsuit and the current Epic v. Google trial in the US. The company that created the game Fortnite is accusing the App Store and Google Play stores of charging 'exorbitant' commissions to those who sell content on these platforms.
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