Sony is facing a class-action lawsuit over allegations that they are abusing their monopoly on digital PlayStation content after changing the way PlayStation owners purchase digital games.
Back in 2019, Sony made the decision to stop all third-party retailers from selling digital download codes for PlayStation games, meaning PS owners have to get their digital games directly from the PlayStation Store. You can still buy virtual currency cards from physical stores, but you have to make the actual game purchase on the PS Store. You can also still buy the physical games wherever you want. Which all sounds reasonable until someone alleges Sony has been overcharging for the digital games.
That’s where the lawsuit comes in. A law firm, representing more than a million US PlayStation owners, is alleging that people have been “overcharged billions of dollars on their purchases of digital copies of video games through the PlayStation Store”.
By limiting the options users have, Sony effectively foreclosed all retail price competition on PlayStation games, creating its own monopoly on digital PlayStation content and thereby allowing Sony to charge inflated prices for these games. Consumers, limited to a single source for purchasing any digital PlayStation content, are forced to pay a higher price for digital PlayStation games than they would in a free and unrestrained competitive retail market.
My own (very limited and unprofessional) investigation seems to suggest this is true, the PS Store versions are generally more expensive. Which is a bit rude for people that purchased the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, since they have no other options, or people avoiding the shops due to that whole global pandemic situation. Good luck with that, Sony.
If anyone is interested, digital Xbox games tend to be cheaper than their physical counterparts (also found during my very limited and unprofessional investigation), then there’s that whole Game Pass thing.
Via SlashGear.