Sony Threatened with a Fine of IDR 45.5 Trillion Due to Antimonopoly Lawsuit in the UK

PlayStation Store appearance (photo: dok. Playstation)

JAKARTA - Sony is facing a class action lawsuit in the UK for alleged monopoly practices on the PlayStation Store. If found guilty, Sony is threatened with a fine of up to 2.7 billion US dollars (Rp. 45.5 trillion).

This lawsuit represents 12.2 million PlayStation console users in Great Britain. The plaintiffs allege that Sony has abused its dominant position to charge excessive fees for digital games.

In the legal document filed, the plaintiff stated that Sony monopolized the distribution of content through its digital store. This allows the company to set a commission of 30 percent on each transaction.

This lawsuit covers all purchases of games and additional content made from August 2016 to February 2026. The lawsuit scheme is opt-out so that users who meet the criteria will be listed as applicants automatically.

If the court grants this lawsuit, each customer is estimated to receive compensation of around IDR 3.6 million. This value is compensation for overpayment that has been imposed on consumers.

Sony defended itself by stating that restrictions on third-party stores were carried out in order to maintain security and privacy. They argue that a closed system is essential to protect the sensitive data of console users.

Sony also explained that the digital sales commission is used to cover the very thin console profit margin. The profit from the game is needed to subsidize the production costs so that the hardware price remains affordable.