Sure, here we go.
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So, there’s this massive hullabaloo going on in the Netherlands. Apparently, PlayStation fans over there are seriously ticked off about what they’re dubbing the ‘Sony tax.’ Yeah, a bunch of them have actually filed a lawsuit. Why? They’re pointing fingers at Sony for monopolistic shenanigans, saying, “Okay, why on earth are we paying like 47% more for digital games compared to those shiny discs?” (That’s a clunky translation, but you get the gist.) Sony, they claim, is playing monopoly with digital sales. Go figure.
Now, the Dutch folks have been putting on their detective hats for this. Turns out, for at least a decade — yes, ten whole years — Sony’s been flexing its console market muscles. They’ve barred any other app stores from joining their little party. It’s like they’ve slammed the door shut and tossed the key. This means around 1.7 million gamers are bleeding money on digital games, apparently a jaw-dropping €435 million since 2013. Yikes, that’s a lotta coins.
No matter where you are, buying the latest PlayStation 5 games feels like burning a hole in your wallet, right? We’re talking $69.99 in the US. Sony’s got a grip on pricing in their digital heaven, but out here… physical game sellers are chopping prices down like there’s no tomorrow to snag the crowd. But then, enter the digital-only consoles stage left, doing their unassuming self-promo.
And there’s this image! Oh, wait it’s… something about the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. Looks fancy, doesn’t it? Anyway, Lucia Melcherts, the chair of some Dutch campaign — Fair PlayStation or such — bluntly says Sony’s magic act is turning out to be smoke and mirrors. She says, they’re cranking up prices whenever they fancy, without giving players anything in return. Imagine the water heating up without noticing till it’s too late.
April rolled in, and guess what? Sony upped the prices on a bunch of stuff. Melcherts is shouting from rooftops about this so-called ‘Sony tax.’ It’s like they’re playing in 2025 where they don’t care about competition or what consumers are hollering about. Digital stuff was supposed to be cheaper, right? But nope, not in Sony’s fenced-off garden that bars any other store from opening up shop.
To wrap up this hot mess, the Fair PlayStation crew is yelling about how Sony’s making double on digital sales, sitting high up with 80% of the console market in the Netherlands. Around the board, developers and publishers are shaking heads too.
The buzzer will go off with the first legal hearing in 2025. Dutch courts, they’re hoping, will see sense and make Sony hand over the keys to other digital stores.
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