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Sony to Pay $7.85M Settlement to 4.4 M Players

5/5/2026

33 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Sony Settlement Approved

A U.S. court gave preliminary approval to a $7.85 million settlement for over 4.4 million PlayStation users.
The lawsuit alleges Sony’s 2019 end of third-party game vouchers raised digital game prices.
Users who purchased digital games on PlayStation Store from April 1 2019 to December 31 2023 and had at least 200 vouchers sold before April 1 2019 qualify.
Inactive users must request a check by August 27 2026, with opt-out requests due July 2 2026.

Summary

Sony Antitrust Lawsuit

The class action alleges Sony’s 2019 restriction of game sales to the PlayStation Store violated antitrust law by barring retailers.
Sony says it broke no law and that the settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.
The April 8 2026 filing lists over 100 titles—including The Last of Us and God of War Collection—as qualifying games because they were sold as physical voucher codes.
A California judge is overseeing the case.

History

Historical Context

After the DOJ and 19 states sued Microsoft in May 1998 for tying Internet Explorer to Windows, a 2000 federal ruling found the company had abused monopoly power and later a 2004 class-action settlement required a $1.1 billion payment. That precedent underpins today’s Sony PlayStation Store voucher lawsuit, reflecting ongoing scrutiny of platform-controlled digital markets.

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Sony Settlement Approved

A U.S. court gave preliminary approval to a $7.85 million settlement for over 4.4 million PlayStation users.
The lawsuit alleges Sony’s 2019 end of third-party game vouchers raised digital game prices.
Users who purchased digital games on PlayStation Store from April 1 2019 to December 31 2023 and had at least 200 vouchers sold before April 1 2019 qualify.
Inactive users must request a check by August 27 2026, with opt-out requests due July 2 2026.

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