Sony Sued Over PlayStation Store Monopoly

A PlayStation user has sued Sony over its monopoly on digital game purchases. Lawyers claim that Sony’s decision to stop PlayStation users from purchasing third-party codes in 2019 violated antitrust and unfair competition laws.

Sony had previously allowed players to purchase games from third-party retailers such as GameStop and Amazon via download codes. However, Sony changed its policy in 2019. The company made so that codes could only be purchased through the PlayStation Store and not by third-party retailers. According to the lawsuit, these restrictions constitute Sony’s monopoly over the sale of PlayStation games.

Regarding PlayStation Store, Lawyers say that popular games are sold 75% more digitally. According to the case, this number can reach up to 175% at its highest level. In a company’s earnings report, Sony said that it generated $ 17 billion in revenue from content purchased from digital PlayStation games. Lawyers say state that, out of this 17 billion dollars, 7 billion of it could have been overcharged through the alleged monopoly from PlayStation Store.

This lawsuit was opened amid the ongoing battle between Apple and Epic Games. Which is also focused on the monopolistic aspects of a digital store. Valve has also been sued this week, over the monopolization of PC gaming market. Frankly, I do not think any of these cases will have a positive result.

If the claims of these monopolies are legally verified, all the successful digital ecosystems will start to get sued. This will surely disrupt the free market economy. Which is the main reason, why I think these lawsuits will not go anywhere. So, the moment the lawsuit between Apple and Epic is resolved in Apple’s favour, these cases will also drop. Until then, we will continue to inform you with the latest news. Stay tuned!