{"id":2091259,"date":"2026-08-13T08:21:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T05:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2091259"},"modified":"2026-08-13T08:21:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T05:21:53","slug":"stop-killing-games-backs-dutch-consumer-rights-lawsuit-against-sonys-playstation-digital-store-monopoly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2091259","title":{"rendered":"Stop Killing Games backs Dutch consumer rights lawsuit against Sony&#8217;s PlayStation digital store &#8220;monopoly&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Stop Killing Games backs Dutch consumer rights lawsuit against Sony&#8217;s PlayStation digital store &#8220;monopoly&#8221;<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;It&#8217;s time to sue Sony, join us&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/stop-killing-games-eu-v2.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Stop Killing Games logo featuring a shattered game controller in front of the EU flag.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"stop-killing-games-eu-v2.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer\/Stop Killing Games<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/sherif-saed\">Sherif Saed<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Senior Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\n<p>Published on   <time datetime=\"2026-08-13T08:21:53+00:00\" data-auto-time-zone=\"true\" data-year=\"numeric\" data-month=\"short\" data-day=\"numeric\" data-hour=\"numeric\" data-minute=\"numeric\">Aug. 13, 2026, 8:21 a.m.<\/time>\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/stop-killing-games-consumer-rights-lawsuit-netherlands-sony-playstation-monopoly?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          5 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Stop Killing Games, the grassroots initiative fighting to prevent game publishers from shutting down servers without offering an alternative, has joined a lawsuit filed in the Netherlands against Sony for its alleged monopoly of selling digital games on the PlayStation Store (via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamesradar.com\/games\/its-time-to-sue-sony-stop-killing-games-joins-lawsuit-over-playstations-digital-monopoly-amid-death-of-physical-games\/\">GamesRadar<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-sued-in-netherlands-over-sony-tax-and-its-perceived-monopoly-on-digital-sales\">lawsuit has been in the works since 2025<\/a>, and was brought on by a consumer rights organisation in the country called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.massaschadeconsument.nl\/collectieve-acties\/playstation\/\">Stichting Massaschade &amp; Consument on behalf of 1.7 million Dutch PlayStation users<\/a>. The group launched the &#8216;Fair PlayStation&#8217; campaign well before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-ending-playstation-discs-physical-media-january-2028\">Sony decided to end physical PlayStation discs<\/a>, but the shocking decision has brought it back into the limelight.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit&#8217;s core argument is that it&#8217;s unfair to consumers that Sony is the only company that runs a digital store on every PlayStation console. This will only be exacerbated when discs go away, as digital becomes the sole option for consumers looking to buy a game.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"It&apos;s time to sue Sony, join us\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gUHyYkPnJv0?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/gUHyYkPnJv0\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">It&#8217;s time to sue Sony, join us<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gUHyYkPnJv0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s time to sue Sony, join us&#8221; is the title of a video announcing Stop Killing Games and DoesItPlay?&#8217;s involvement in SM&amp;C&#8217;s lawsuit. &#8220;We&#8217;re putting our full weight behind SM&amp;C&#8217;s case, with the Dutch court,&#8221; the video&#8217;s description reads.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;SM&amp;C has to show the court it actually represents gamers, not just claims to. Our support backs that up globally. Every Dutch gamer who signs on backs it up directly.<\/p>\n<p>SM&amp;C&#8217;s argument is one shared by others who say the end of physical discs could take retailers out of the picture, removing a core element of competition. Indeed, recent analysis &#8211; also in the Netherlands &#8211; found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/retail-shop-games-cheaper-report-sony-ending-playstation-discs\">games are almost always cheaper in shops compared to the PlayStation Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the PC avoids this problem somewhat by having multiple stores that sell games, a closed system like PlayStation will funnel all players towards the Sony-run PlayStation Store, virtually eliminating all competition.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/stop-killing-games-european-parliament-commission-setback\">Stop Killing Games recently suffered a setback in Europe<\/a>. Following multiple European Parliament hearings, the European Commission decided that it won&#8217;t change legislature to allow video games to remain playable after publishers kill servers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Stop Killing Games, the grassroots initiative fighting to prevent game publishers from shutting down servers without offering an alternative, has joined a lawsuit filed in the Netherlands against Sony for its alleged monopoly of selling digital games on the PlayStation Store (via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamesradar.com\/games\/its-time-to-sue-sony-stop-killing-games-joins-lawsuit-over-playstations-digital-monopoly-amid-death-of-physical-games\/\">GamesRadar<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-sued-in-netherlands-over-sony-tax-and-its-perceived-monopoly-on-digital-sales\">lawsuit has been in the works since 2025<\/a>, and was brought on by a consumer rights organisation in the country called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.massaschadeconsument.nl\/collectieve-acties\/playstation\/\">Stichting Massaschade &amp; Consument on behalf of 1.7 million Dutch PlayStation users<\/a>. The group launched the &#8216;Fair PlayStation&#8217; campaign well before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-ending-playstation-discs-physical-media-january-2028\">Sony decided to end physical PlayStation discs<\/a>, but the shocking decision has brought it back into the limelight.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit&#8217;s core argument is that it&#8217;s unfair to consumers that Sony is the only company that runs a digital store on every PlayStation console. This will only be exacerbated when discs go away, as digital becomes the sole option for consumers looking to buy a game.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"It&apos;s time to sue Sony, join us\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gUHyYkPnJv0?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/gUHyYkPnJv0\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">It&#8217;s time to sue Sony, join us<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gUHyYkPnJv0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s time to sue Sony, join us&#8221; is the title of a video announcing Stop Killing Games and DoesItPlay?&#8217;s involvement in SM&amp;C&#8217;s lawsuit. &#8220;We&#8217;re putting our full weight behind SM&amp;C&#8217;s case, with the Dutch court,&#8221; the video&#8217;s description reads.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;SM&amp;C has to show the court it actually represents gamers, not just claims to. Our support backs that up globally. Every Dutch gamer who signs on backs it up directly.<\/p>\n<p>SM&amp;C&#8217;s argument is one shared by others who say the end of physical discs could take retailers out of the picture, removing a core element of competition. Indeed, recent analysis &#8211; also in the Netherlands &#8211; found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/retail-shop-games-cheaper-report-sony-ending-playstation-discs\">games are almost always cheaper in shops compared to the PlayStation Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the PC avoids this problem somewhat by having multiple stores that sell games, a closed system like PlayStation will funnel all players towards the Sony-run PlayStation Store, virtually eliminating all competition.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/stop-killing-games-european-parliament-commission-setback\">Stop Killing Games recently suffered a setback in Europe<\/a>. Following multiple European Parliament hearings, the European Commission decided that it won&#8217;t change legislature to allow video games to remain playable after publishers kill servers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Stop Killing Games backs Dutch consumer rights lawsuit against Sony&#8217;s PlayStation digital store &#8220;monopoly&#8221; &#8220;It&#8217;s time to sue Sony, join us&#8221;. Image credit: Eurogamer\/Stop Killing Games News by Sherif Saed Senior Contributor Published on Aug. 13, 2026, 8:21 a.m. 5 comments Stop Killing Games, the grassroots initiative fighting to prevent game publishers from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2091259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2091259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091259\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2091259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2091259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2091259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}