US PlayStation owners may be eligible for part of $7.85 million payout

Owing to allegations of an illegal monopoly over digital game sales, Sony is facing a substantial payout to PlayStation users if an ongoing class-action lawsuit succeeds. The case, Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment, revolves around Sony’s 2019 decision to stop third-party retailers from selling PlayStation download codes, leaving the PlayStation Store as the sole authorized marketplace for digital games. Plaintiffs argue that eliminating competing retailers reduced market competition and allowed Sony to charge more.

Roughly 4.4 million US PlayStation owners who purchased certain eligible digital PlayStation games from this list between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023, are automatically included in the settlement class. Although the United States District Court of the Northern District of California has yet to conclude whether Sony committed any wrongdoing, the court has preliminarily approved a settlement worth $7.85 million, subject to a final approval hearing on October 15.

If the settlement is approved, eligible PlayStation users will have funds deposited into their PSN accounts by PlayStation at a later date. Those with deactivated PSN accounts will be able to request a cash payment by submitting their purchase history to info@PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com. It remains unclear whether users with existing, active PSN accounts can also request cash payment instead of credit, but if that option exists, the purchase history can be viewed directly through a user's account on PlayStation's website if needed. It also remains unclear just how much money or credit individuals will get in the event of a settlement.