PlayStation gamers could receive up to £562 each from £5 billion lawsuit
Millions of PlayStation gamers could be set for a payday thanks to a new class action lawsuit against Sony.
The lawsuit, filed by consumer rights campaigner Alex Neill, has been given the go ahead by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Neill has argued that Sony has a "near monopoly on the sale of digital games and add-on content through its control of the PlayStation Store", as per the PlayStation You Owe Us website.
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Neill is suing Japanese tech giant Sony on behalf of the 8.9 million UK users of PlayStation, she says.
The lawsuit holds issue with the allegedly 'restrictive' way Sony runs PlayStation and the accompanying online store. This includes the way it doesn't allow third-party operating systems or applications to be used on PlayStation, how games and add-ons can only be sold and purchased through the PlayStation store, and Sony allegedly charging around 30% commission on all purchases of games and add-on content made through the store.
Essentially, Neill is arguing that Sony has a dominant position in the market - and claims they have "abused" that power by allegedly hiking up prices, both for users and any third parties who want to get their games on the store.
"PlayStation users have lost out due to this unlawful anticompetitive conduct," the lawsuit reads, while claiming an estimate that some 8.9m PlayStation users have lost between £600,000 and £5bn ($760,000-$6bn) - and that's not even taking interest into account.
If you bought anything on the PlayStation Store between August 19 2016 and the date of the final judgment or earlier settlement of proceedings, and live in the UK, this may be of interest to you.
Class action lawsuits sound like something out of Suits or Law & Order - they're not hugely common in the UK, making this big news.
Who knows how it will play out, but if it's successful, GB News reports that the claimants could be awarded payments between £67 and £562 ($85-$710), plus interest.
Last week, the Competition Appeal Tribunal said the lawsuit could go ahead, with Neill saying: "This is the first step in ensuring consumers get back what they’re owed as a result of Sony breaking the law. PlayStation gamers’ loyalty has been taken advantage of by Sony who has been charging them excessive prices for years."
In the filing, Sony said the case was "flawed from start to finish".
It's likely things will move quickly from here - court documents say "it is desirable for these proceedings to progress with some expedition", so if you're a PlayStation user, you hopefully won't have to wait too long for an update.
Sony has been contacted for comment.