Sony Sued for Market Monopoly and Excessive Value Charges on PSN
Jonathan Dubinski 
Sony’s finding itself in hot water in the Netherlands, getting sued over accusations of market monopoly and pricing gamers unfairly via the PSN. The lawsuit was kickstarted by Stichting Massaschade & Consument, a Dutch non-profit organization focused on shielding consumers from exploitative market tactics. They’re accusing Sony of abusing its dominance in the console market over the past decade, especially when it comes to digital game sales given their significant share in this area and the lack of physical media readers in certain consoles. On top of that, they say Sony’s been nickel-and-diming gamers with what they call a “Sony tax,” making digital games more expensive for consumers. According to Lucia Melcherts, director of Stichting Massaschade & Consument, it’s glaring how Sony’s pushing a “digital consoles only” policy since the PS5 launch. Research reveals that on average, gamers pay 47% more for digital games compared to physical media, despite lower distribution costs for Sony. Recent price hikes in the PS5 Digital edition, which saw an increase of €50 this April without offering any benefits or advantages to consumers, are also being cited as evidence of market manipulation. Since over 80% of Dutch game console owners have a PlayStation and Sony’s the only provider of digital games for the console, it can set prices without thinking twice about consumers or developers due to lack of competition.
Lawsuit against Sony’s PSN has two major issues: stifling fair market competition and using that monopoly power to overcharge gamers and game devs. The suit also claims Sony’s actions cost €435 million in the Netherlands alone, money that needs to be refunded to players. No court date set yet, but it’ll likely happen this year.
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About the Author
Bruno Pferd 
Marcus Thompson 
Ahmed Hassan 
