Sony faces €400 million lawsuit over PlayStation Store monopoly

Sony Interactive Entertainment faces a major legal challenge in the Netherlands as the foundation Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SM&C) seeks €400 million in damages on behalf of 1.7 million PlayStation users. The lawsuit alleges that Sony maintains a monopoly in the PlayStation Store by prohibiting external retailers from selling download codes, which reportedly makes digital games approximately 47 percent more expensive than physical retail versions. Consumer advocates also criticize the 30 percent commission Sony takes on digital sales.

This legal battle coincides with Sony’s official announcement that it will cease the production of physical game discs starting in January 2028. This transition to a digital-only model has sparked significant criticism regarding game preservation and the loss of the used games market.

Market analysis indicates that the impact of this shift will vary by genre and region. Data shows that family-oriented titles and story-driven action-adventures, such as ‘Astro Bot’ and ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’, maintain a higher share of physical sales, likely due to their popularity as gifts. Conversely, online-focused shooters like ‘Helldivers 2’ see much lower physical demand. Geographically, France shows the highest reliance on physical media, while the United States shows the lowest.