Sony to Pay Out $7.85 Million in PlayStation Store Credit

Sony plans to deposit PlayStation Store credit directly into the accounts of eligible US users to resolve a significant antitrust lawsuit. According to Engadget, this move stems from a $7.85 million settlement regarding how the company handled digital game sales. The payment is not cash but store credit, and it will be applied automatically to accounts that purchased specific digital titles between April 2019 and the end of 2023. There is no need for users to fill out claim forms, as those who bought qualifying games during this window were enrolled automatically.

However, recipients should manage their expectations regarding the amount they will receive. More than 4.4 million accounts are eligible for this payout, meaning the total fund is spread very thinly. After legal fees and administrative costs are deducted from the total settlement, the average share per eligible purchase is estimated to be only one or two dollars. This small amount reflects the sheer volume of affected users rather than the size of the initial settlement fund.

Eligibility depends on specific purchase history

Not every digital purchase made during the target period qualifies for this settlement. To be eligible, a game must have had a download voucher available for purchase at physical retailers before April 1, 2019. Additionally, the title must have seen at least 200 voucher redemptions and its price on the PlayStation Store must have increased by at least 50 cents after Sony stopped allowing retailers to sell these codes. Sony has provided a fixed list of eligible titles, which includes major releases like The Last of Us Remastered, Bloodborne, and third-party games such as No Man's Sky.

The lawsuit originally alleged that Sony’s decision to stop letting retailers like Amazon and GameStop sell digital game codes effectively eliminated price competition. By removing the option for retailers to discount these codes, plaintiffs argued Sony gained a monopoly over digital game sales on its platform. This allowed the company to charge higher prices without the competitive pressure that previously existed when physical stores could offer lower prices through vouchers.

Legal fees significantly reduce the payout pool

Before any credit reaches user accounts, the settlement fund must cover substantial legal costs. Attorneys are entitled to request fees of up to 25 percent of the total settlement, along with expenses and service awards for the named plaintiffs. Assuming the full fee award is granted, roughly $5.89 million remains to be distributed across the 4.4 million eligible accounts. The final amount each user receives will be prorated based on how many qualifying purchases they made relative to the total number of purchases in the pool.

Lead counsel for the case has indicated that individual recoveries will likely range from 91 cents to $33.66. This wide variance depends on the total number of qualifying transactions made across all accounts. If a user made several eligible purchases, their share will be larger, while those with only one qualifying purchase will receive the minimum amount. The exact distribution is determined by the proportion of each account's purchases to the entire settlement pool.

Final approval pending in October hearing

No payments will be issued until a federal judge grants final approval of the settlement. A fairness hearing is scheduled for October 15 before Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in San Francisco. During this hearing, the court will review the settlement terms and the plan for distributing the credits. Only after this approval, and assuming there are no appeals, will the store credit begin appearing in eligible accounts. Users should wait for official confirmation before expecting the funds.

The legal process has been lengthy, with the original lawsuit filed in 2021 and initially dismissed by the court for failing to adequately allege anticompetitive conduct. The plaintiffs were allowed to rework their complaint, which was upheld in early 2023. This settlement now aims to resolve those allegations without a full trial, providing a direct, albeit small, benefit to the millions of players who purchased digital games during the specified period.