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It's been a hectic couple of months for the tech industry lawsuits.
Apple recently agreed to pay $250 million to resolve claims that it misled customers about its AI Siri features, opening the door for millions to claim a slice of the compensation.
Now, gamers could be in line for a similar payout.
Sony has agreed to pay $7.85 million as part of a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit centred on purchases made through the PlayStation Store.
The gaming giant was sued three years ago by users who claimed it had unfairly controlled the market for certain digital PlayStation games to keep prices high.
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According to the lawsuit, Sony's practices violated federal antitrust laws and state competition laws by restricting how and where those games could be sold.
Sony has denied wrongdoing, but a federal court in California has granted preliminary approval of the settlement.
If you purchased a digital game that was previously available through a game-specific voucher, through the PlayStation Store between 1 April 2019 and 31 December 2023, you may be eligible for a payment.
Compensation is expected to be distributed automatically to eligible PlayStation Network accounts, most likely in the form of PSN credits.
The list of eligible titles is pretty extensive and includes some of the biggest names in gaming. Major AAA titles covered include The Last of Us, Resident Evil 4, and Call of Duty, alongside sports games such as Madden, NBA 2K, and FIFA.
Other titles on the list include Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Bloodborne, God of War III Remastered, Ratchet and Clank, the Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection, Destiny 2, and Star Wars Battlefront, among many others.
A full list of qualifying games is available on the official settlement website.
While the $7.85 million pot sounds monumental, up to 25% of it will go towards legal fees, taxes and associated costs before anything reaches players. Whatever remains will then be divided among potentially millions of eligible PSN accounts, meaning individual payouts are likely to be a few dollars at most.
The good news is that you do not need to do anything. Once the settlement is finalised, funds will be deposited directly into the payment accounts linked to eligible PSN profiles.
If you would prefer to opt out of the settlement, you can do so by submitting a written request. Bear in mind that accepting the payout by default means waiving the right to sue Sony over this matter in the future.
A final fairness hearing is scheduled for 15 October, after which further details about distribution will be confirmed.
