Sony has agreed to a preliminary $7.85 million settlement following a lawsuit accusing the company of monopolizing digital game sales through the PlayStation Store. The case, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, claimed Sony restricted third-party retailers from selling downloadable PlayStation games through game-specific vouchers, forcing customers to buy directly from the PlayStation Network. Plaintiffs alleged this allowed Sony to control prices without competition, violating federal antitrust laws and several state laws. Although Sony denied wrongdoing, the proposed agreement could provide compensation to players who purchased certain digital games between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. Eligible titles reportedly include games such as Demon’s Souls, No Man’s Sky, The Last of Us Remastered, and Bloodborne. If approved by a California judge later this year, users may receive small refunds through PlayStation Network credits, though the final amount per person is expected to be limited after legal and administrative fees are deducted.
Meanwhile, Google has also agreed to settle a separate class-action lawsuit involving Android users for $135 million. The lawsuit accused the company of transferring data from Android devices in the background without user consent, even when phones appeared idle. Plaintiffs claimed some of these transfers used customers’ mobile data plans without their knowledge. Google denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement, which could apply to millions of Americans who used Android phones with cellular data plans after November 2017. Reports suggest payouts may only amount to around one dollar per user because the settlement must be divided among an enormous number of claimants. At the same time, PlayStation users have also raised concerns online over changes to PlayStation Plus subscription settings, after Sony replaced the “Turn Off Auto Renew” option with “Cancel Subscription,” which some players say has caused confusion and unexpected charges.
