PlayStation gamers could be owed £2bn in compensation, according to a lawsuit launched on Tuesday.
If successful, the class action case brought by consumer champion Alex Neill could mean cheaper PlayStation games and UK gamers receiving around £162 each in compensation.
The case hinges on how the digital PlayStation Store, run by the console’s manufacturer Sony, operates.
Ms Neill argues Sony has been “exploiting its UK customers, by charging them too much” for digital games and in-game content.
The lawsuit claims Sony broke competition law through its control of the PlayStation Store, meaning that “Sony has a near monopoly on the sale of digital games and add-on content”.
Developers are charged around 30% commission for selling games in the store and Sony sets the price of games.
Ms Neill says this has resulted in “excessive and unfair prices” for gamers, with the digital games allegedly costing around 20% more than physical copies.
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The “class action” aspect of the lawsuit means that anyone living in the UK who bought a PlayStation game between August 2016 and February this year is automatically included – unless they already opted out.
That’s an estimated 12.2 million people.
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Sony is contesting the claims.
The company didn’t respond to a request for comment by Sky News. But in its legal filing, Sony argues that its distribution model is justified because allowing third-party stores for downloads would introduce security and privacy risks.
Apple faced – and lost – a similar case in UK courts last year, when it was told to pay App Store users £1.5bn in compensation over breaches of competition law.
Developers were being charged a 30% commission to sell their apps in the App Store, which the lawsuit argued meant consumers had been subsequently overcharged.
Apple is appealing the case and strongly denies the allegations, saying the App Store had benefited businesses and consumers across the UK and created a dynamic and competitive marketplace.
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The Sony trial started on Tuesday and is expected to last around nine weeks.
