Sony Interactive Entertainment has become the target of a class action lawsuit in the Netherlands, as the Mass Damage & Consumer Foundation officially filed a claim on behalf of Dutch PlayStation users. The lawsuit accuses Sony of abusing its dominant market position to artificially inflate prices of digital games and in-game content, creating financial harm for nearly 1.7 million consumers in the country.
The legal action follows the foundation’s “Fair PlayStation” campaign, launched earlier in February. Within days, the initiative had drawn more than 20,000 supporters, signaling widespread consumer dissatisfaction. According to Lucia Melcherts, chair of the foundation, many players have felt forced toward purchasing digital-only PlayStation 5 consoles, limiting their ability to buy cheaper physical disc versions of games. “Economic studies show that consumers pay an average of 47 percent more for digital versions of the same game compared to physical discs, even though Sony incurs lower distribution costs for digital sales,” Melcherts explained.
Over two thousand consumers reportedly reached out to the foundation in recent months, expressing concern over Sony’s growing control of the PlayStation digital ecosystem. Melcherts emphasized that these gamers have built extensive digital libraries, often representing thousands of hours and substantial monetary investments. “The magic has faded for many of them,” she remarked. “They have seen Sony transform into a monopolist that imposes new conditions and raises prices without offering additional value.”
Central to the foundation’s complaint is what it refers to as the “Sony tax”—a term describing the elevated prices consumers face in the PlayStation Store, which operates as the sole digital marketplace on the platform. This restricted access, combined with Sony’s large market share, has reportedly allowed the company to control pricing without significant competition. The situation drew renewed criticism in April following steep price hikes for PlayStation 5 hardware and the PS Plus subscription service across several regions.
“Sony is the sole supplier of digital content on the world’s most popular game console. More than 80 percent of Dutch households with a game console own a PlayStation,” Melcherts noted. “This allows Sony to make decisions without much regard for competitors, developers, or consumers.”
The lawsuit raises two primary legal concerns: first, that Sony actively blocks competition by preventing alternative digital storefronts from operating on the PlayStation platform; and second, that it exploits both consumers and developers. The claim alleges that developers are forced to distribute their titles solely through the PlayStation Store under terms dictated by Sony, including pricing restrictions that limit their commercial freedom.
Supporting economic research referenced by the foundation suggests Sony’s digital strategy generates profit margins over twice as high as those of physical game sales. This system, they argue, forces consumers to bear the additional cost burden, resulting in estimated damages of 435 million euros to Dutch PlayStation users since 2013.
The case will first focus on procedural issues such as court jurisdiction and the admissibility of the foundation’s claims. Should the Dutch court find the lawsuit valid, Sony may face the possibility of opening its platform to competing digital retailers—a move that could reshape the company’s longstanding control over PlayStation’s digital marketplace.
For now, the industry is watching closely as the dispute develops, especially given its potential to influence digital game distribution policies across broader markets in Europe and beyond.
