In an era where gaming consoles like PlayStation and others are leaning towards a completely digital future, gamers find themselves depending heavily on the costs of digital games as there’s no more pre-owned market. This means they might have to hold out for sales in digital stores which could potentially never materialize.
In response to these allegations, Sony is currently facing a lawsuit in the Netherlands regarding what’s being called the “Sony Tax” and potential monopolies on digital sales of console software. This lawsuit was initiated by the non-profit organization Stichting Massachade & Consument, acting on behalf of approximately 1.7 million Dutch PlayStation users. They claim that Sony has been abusing its market dominance in the console industry over the past decade.
Sony sued for PlayStation Store prices in the Netherlands
According to a press release sent to Eurogamer, the lawsuit alleges that Sony charges gamers significantly more for digital games compared to physical ones, which some may view as an unfair advantage in the market. As Sony moves towards digital-exclusive consoles and holds the lead in the current console market, these higher digital store prices might be seen as a monopolistic practice.
According to Lucia Melcherts, chairperson of Stichting Massaschade & Consument, a growing trend has been observed where more and more individuals are being encouraged towards using ‘digital-only’ consoles like the latest PS5 generation.
They explained that these gaming consoles only support digital games, not those on discs. Interestingly, studies in economics reveal that consumers usually end up spending about 47% more for the digital version of a game compared to its physical counterpart, despite Sony having reduced distribution costs.
As a passionate gamer, I’ve noticed an unsettling trend since the release of the PS5 in 2020 – the continuous rise in game prices and console hardware costs, along with recurring price hikes for PlayStation Plus. Now, PlayStation itself has admitted to future “price adjustments” for PlayStation Plus, which only makes the market feel more exploitative from my perspective.
Melcherts stated that Sony’s bold move to increase prices significantly without providing substantial benefits to customers shows a clear message. Since Sony holds the exclusive rights to digital content on the world’s most widely-used gaming console, and over 80% of Dutch console users opt for PlayStation, Sony can make choices with minimal consideration for competitors, developers, or consumers.
The lawsuit alleges an unevenness in Sony’s digital marketplace, implying that Dutch consumers might be entitled to approximately €435 million in compensation due to this imbalance. These legal actions are part of the continuing “Fair PlayStation” initiative, which garnered around 20,000 Dutch gamers within a week back in February 2025.
In the upcoming generation, it appears that Xbox is moving towards an open marketplace model, leaving PlayStation and Nintendo as the remaining strongholds of the conventional console structure. Notably, the worth of Nintendo’s first-party games remains robust for both physical and digital editions, while first-party PlayStation games tend to see a rapid decline in value for their physical versions, but retain high prices digitally.
The first hearing for this new PlayStation Store lawsuit is set to take place later this year.
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2025-06-27 14:10