By Sam Tobin
LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) – Sony is fighting a London lawsuit worth nearly 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) alleging the PlayStation maker raised prices for “disruptive positioning” for digital games, in the latest mass consumer case to be tried in Britain.
The Japanese conglomerate has been accused of requiring digital games and add-ons for its console that need to be bought and sold only through its PlayStation Store, raising prices compared to physical games.
Sony says it has invested “years and billions” into an integrated gaming platform that will benefit consumers in a competitive market, where rivals Nintendo and Microsoft’s Xbox use similar models.
Its lawyers also argue that Sony earns revenue from sales of games and not much additional content, saying the lawsuit ignores the company’s costs and the value of its brand.
The case, which was brought to London’s Competition Appeal Court (CAT) on behalf of around 12 million people in the UK, is the third case against a major tech company to go to trial since the start of 2025.
Accused Sony of not competing
Alex Neil, who is leading the case, said in a statement that “the players paid a lot of money and they should get some money back”. The case was previously valued at £5 billion, but has since been reduced to £1.97 billion.
Her lawyer Robert Palmer told the court: “Sony can set retail prices … without facing retail competition for digital content. This allows it to make monopoly profits from digital distribution.”
But Sony, which sold 8 million PlayStation 5 consoles between October and December, says the case amounts to arguing that third parties should be allowed to set up a store for PlayStation and “free ride” on Sony’s investment.
Other cases related to app stores are pending. Last year, the CAT ruled against Apple over its App Store, a decision Apple plans to appeal.
The trial against Google will begin in October. Fortnite developer Epic Games, which will be involved in the case, withdrew its claim on Monday after Google announced sweeping changes to its Play Store practices.
($1 = 0.7446 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin. Editing by Mark Potter)
