British class action against Sony over PlayStation Store commissions allowed to proceed

The British Competition Appeal Tribunal has authorized a class action against Sony. A Briton sued the PlayStation maker last year for charging a 30 percent commission on the PlayStation Store. Consumers therefore pay too much for games, the claim states.

The CAT states that the matter, which was started by consumer advocate Alex Neill, may appear in court. Sony asked the court to dismiss the case because the company believes it has no chance, but the appeals court disagrees. The console manufacturer has not demonstrated that the mass claim is not based on reasonable grounds and has no chance of success in a court of law, the CAT concludes. It does rule that people who made PlayStation Store purchases after the case was filed should be removed from the list of class action participants.

Alex Neill started the claim against Sony in 2022. According to Neill, Sony abuses its dominant position in the distribution of digital games for the PlayStation consoles. The claim states that Sony only allows digital PlayStation games to be purchased through its own store and charges a 30 percent commission. Since developers have no alternative way to sell their games digitally, they cannot avoid that thirty percent commission, the court states. The mass claim states that consumers pay too much for digital games and DLC from the PlayStation Store. Neill is therefore demanding up to £562 per customer. This could bring the total amount up to 5 billion pounds, which at current exchange rates is about 5.4 billion euros.

Neill said in a statement on Tuesday that the ruling is “the first step in ensuring consumers get back what they are entitled to.” writes Reuters. Sony did not respond to request for comment, the news agency reported.