The class says Sony abused a dominant position by forcing digital PlayStation games and add-ons through its own store and taking a 30 percent commission, inflating prices for consumers. The claim was originally pleaded at up to £5B and is now put at about £1.97B. Sony says its platform is competitive with Nintendo and Microsoft and its margins are reasonable.
LATEST DEVELOPMENT · MAY 8, 2026
The ten-week trial ran from 10 March to 8 May 2026 with closing arguments over four days. The CAT case page shows judgment still pending as of 13 September 2026.
BACKGROUND
Alex Neill, a UK consumer campaigner and co-founder of Consumer Voice, filed an application on 22 August 2022 to bring opt-out collective proceedings against Sony under section 47B of the Competition Act 1998. The claim alleges Sony abused a dominant position in the console gaming market by tying digital PlayStation purchases to its own PlayStation Store and charging a 30 percent commission, a cost the claimants say was passed on to millions of UK consumers through inflated prices for digital games and add-ons. The claim was originally pleaded at up to roughly £5B.
Sony tried to have the claim struck out or summarily dismissed. In a judgment issued 21 November 2023 ([2023] CAT 73), the Competition Appeal Tribunal rejected that bid and found the claims suitable for collective proceedings, subject to some amendments to the pleaded case. The Tribunal formally made the Collective Proceedings Order on 19 January 2024, certifying the case to proceed as an opt-out action on behalf of a class that has been described at various points as between roughly 9 and 12 million UK PlayStation users. The litigation is funded by Woodsford, and the class representative is advised by Milberg London LLP, with barrister Robert Palmer leading oral argument at trial.
The case then moved through case management, disclosure disputes and timetabling orders through 2024 and 2025, with a pre-trial review on 12 February 2026. The trial itself ran for roughly ten weeks at the CAT in London, from 10 March to 8 May 2026, with closing submissions over the final four days. By the time of trial the claim had been reduced to about £1.97B (roughly $2.7B). Sony’s defense is that the PlayStation platform faces real competition from Nintendo and Microsoft and that its commission and margins are commercially reasonable.
As of September 2026, the Tribunal’s judgment on liability and quantum remains pending. A ruling against Sony would be one of the largest consumer damages awards ever made in the UK and would be closely watched by other console and app store operators facing similar commission-based antitrust claims.
TIMELINE
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MAY 8, 2026HEARINGTrial concludes with closing argumentsThe trial ends after closing submissions delivered over the final four days, with a Tribunal ruling on liability and quantum expected months later.
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MAR 10, 2026HEARINGTen-week merits trial opensThe trial opens at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, with claimant counsel Robert Palmer telling the Tribunal that Sony had pursued a strategy to exclude competition in digital distribution.
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FEB 12, 2026HEARINGPre-trial reviewThe Tribunal holds the final pre-trial review ahead of the merits trial.
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AUG 22, 2025PROCEDURALTribunal sets timetable to trialThe Tribunal issues an order directing a revised timetable leading up to trial, following earlier case management conferences and disclosure directions in 2024 and early 2025.
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JAN 19, 2024PROCEDURALCollective Proceedings Order madeThe Tribunal formally makes the Collective Proceedings Order, certifying the opt-out class action to proceed on behalf of the class of UK PlayStation Store purchasers.
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NOV 21, 2023JUDGMENTCAT rejects strike-out bid and approves collective proceedingsIn [2023] CAT 73 the Tribunal dismisses Sony’s strike-out and summary judgment application and finds the claim suitable to proceed as opt-out collective proceedings, subject to amendments to the pleaded case.
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JUN 7, 2023HEARINGCPO application and strike-out hearingThe Tribunal hears Sony’s strike-out and summary judgment application together with the class representative’s application for a Collective Proceedings Order, over three days.
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DEC 14, 2022PROCEDURALFirst case management conferenceThe Tribunal holds an initial CMC to set the procedural path for the collective proceedings order application.
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AUG 22, 2022FILINGClaim filed at the Competition Appeal TribunalAlex Neill Class Representative Limited applies to commence opt-out collective proceedings against Sony under section 47B of the Competition Act 1998, alleging abuse of dominance over the PlayStation Store.