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PlayStation Store controversies

Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.

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  1. 2022

    Sony updates Horizon Forbidden West store page after pricing concerns

    Company response

    Sony updated the PlayStation Store page for Horizon Forbidden West after reports about unclear pricing. The article says the page remained unclear and criticizes Sony's pricing presentation; it also reports that Sony did not respond to Eurogamer's request for comment.

    Company response

    • Clarification — Sony

      Sony has updated the store page for Horizon Forbidden West on the PlayStation Store after reports on unclear pricing surfaced last week in a number of publications.

    Source excerpt

    • Sony has updated the store page for Horizon Forbidden West on the PlayStation Store after reports on unclear pricing surfaced last week in a number of publications.
    • So, despite the slight adjustments to the store page, Sony is still hoodwinking consumers who don't know any better.
    • Even with the change, the page is still unclear.
    Source

  2. 2021

    Planned closure of older storefronts

    Sony’s announcement that it planned to close PlayStation 3, PSP, and Vita storefronts prompted criticism from players, preservation advocates, and developers. Concerns focused on the loss of legitimate access to older digital games, the vulnerability of digital-only releases, and the short notice reportedly received by some small developers. Sony later reversed the PlayStation 3 and Vita closures, but PSP purchasing functionality was ultimately disabled on the handheld.

    Source

  3. 2021

    Sony sued over PlayStation Store pricing

    Lawsuit filed

    A proposed class-action antitrust lawsuit was filed against Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC and its parent, Sony Group Corporation. The complaint alleges that Sony restricted competition in digital PlayStation game sales and that consumers were overcharged; these are allegations, not a court determination.

    Source excerpt

    • The Joseph Saveri Law Firm filed a class action antitrust lawsuit on Friday, May 7, in federal court in California against Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC and its parent, Sony Group Corporation, on behalf of users of Sony's wildly popular PlayStation video game console.
    • The complaint alleges that in the run-up to the release of the PS5 Digital Edition, Sony decided to prohibit retailers and game developers from selling digital download codes for PlayStation video games.
    Source

  4. 2020

    Australian Federal Court fines Sony over PlayStation Store refund policy

    Fine or penalty

    The Australian Federal Court ordered Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe to pay a fine over representations about consumers' refund rights under Australian Consumer Law for faulty digital purchases. The court found that the representations misrepresented those rights.

    Source excerpt

    • Following a lost case against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe has been ordered to pay a fine of $3.5 million AU (about $2.4 million USD) by the Australian Federal Court. The core issue concerned the corporation’s PlayStation Store refund policy misleading consumers about their Australian Consumer Law (ACL) rights.
    • The Australian Federal Court also found that Sony Europe defied the ACL when informing one of the four customers that it could only offer a refund if authorized by the game developer.
    • Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe got fined for $2.4 million US dollars, or $3.5 million in the local currency, after the Australian Federal Court agreed to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission's legal proceedings started in May 2019 because of the PlayStation Store refund policy.
    Source