Sony accused of “ripping off” customers in £5billion lawsuit

A £5billion lawsuit has been filed against Sony for allegedly “ripping people off” with regards to its digital store sales.

Consumer rights campaigner Alex Neill has alleged Sony is in breach of competition law, specifically citing the 30 per cent cut that the company takes on all digital purchases (via VGC).

The lawsuit constitutes a collective action claim on behalf of everyone in the UK that has purchased games or downloadable content (DLC) on the PlayStation Store since August 2016. This is estimated to include nine million people.

According to the claim, consumers have been “overcharged by £5billion” relating to purchases on the PlayStation Store. Speaking to Sky News, Neill explained the reasoning behind the suit:

“With this legal action I am standing up for the millions of UK people who have been unwittingly overcharged. We believe Sony has abused its position and ripped off its customers.”

They also cited the cost of living crises as a reason for pursuing legal action on behalf of consumers:

“The actions of Sony is costing millions of people who can’t afford it, particularly when we’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis and the consumer purse is being squeezed like never before.”

Sony takes 30 per cent of all purchases made on its digital storefront. This is the same amount Xbox takes on the Xbox Store, and the same as the cut that Steam takes on digital purchases. However, Epic Games Store currently takes a much lower cut at 12 per cent – something founder Tim Sweeney said would be “super-competitive” for partners.

In other gaming news, Rockstar has issued copyright strikes to Mike Dailly, the creator of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), over YouTube videos of a prototype for the first game in the series.