Sony Interactive Entertainment is about to fork over $7.8 million in refunds to US customers following a lawsuit that accused the company of antitrust practices on the PlayStation Store, according to GamesIndustry.biz. Turns out, someone finally hit the "sue" button and it actually worked.
The lawsuit essentially argued that Sony has been running the PlayStation Store like a final boss with no weaknesses - locking players into a walled garden with no competition and allegedly using that monopoly power to keep prices artificially high. If you've ever winced at a full-price digital release sitting right next to a cheaper physical copy at your local store, well, exhibit A, Your Honor.
So do I get free V-Bucks or what?
The $7.8 million pot will be distributed among eligible US customers, though as with any class action settlement, individual payouts are unlikely to make anyone feel like they just pulled an ultra-rare from a loot box. These things tend to spread thinner than day-one server capacity.
This case is part of a broader pattern of legal scrutiny targeting the iron grip that platform holders maintain over their digital storefronts. PlayStation isn't the only one sitting in the hot seat - Apple, Google, and Microsoft have all had their own run-ins with regulators and courts over similar "our store, our rules" business models.
Sony's pay-to-not-compete strategy under the microscope
The core of the antitrust argument is that by forcing developers to only sell PlayStation games through the PlayStation Store, Sony eliminates any competitive pricing pressure - which is basically playing the game on easy mode while charging everyone else full price for the hard mode experience.
Whether this settlement changes anything meaningful in how Sony runs its storefront remains to be seen. History suggests platform holders treat these payouts more like a respawn cost than an actual game over screen - painful for a moment, then right back to business as usual.
If you're a US PlayStation Store customer who spent money between the relevant dates, keep an eye out for settlement claim notifications. It might not be enough for a new game, but hey - every bit of XP counts.
