The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal has green-lit a monumental group lawsuit accusing Sony of imposing a hefty £5 billion overcharge on PlayStation Store’s customers.

The lawsuit was filed in August 2022 by consumer activist Alex Neill on behalf of 8.9 million PlayStation users. According to the indictment, Sony abused its dominant market position by charging excessive prices on the PlayStation Store.

The Japanese company uses its near-monopoly in the sale of digital games and accessories to bind game developers and publishers to tight terms. These terms allegedly allow the company to set prices for digital content and charge a 30% commission on each purchase, which

“results in excessive and unfair prices for consumers that are disproportionate to the cost of the services provided by Sony”.

Sony tried to drop the suit, saying it was “flawed from start to finish”, but on Tuesday the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal allowed Neill, as a class representative, to take legal action against the Japanese company.

According to Neill, it is

“is the first step in ensuring that consumers get back what they are entitled to due to Sony’s illegal conduct.”

He added, “It is significant that the competition court has recognized that Sony must explain its actions during the trial. With this step, we want to stop this illegal behavior and ensure that customers are compensated.

Source: VideoGameChronicles