"It's time to sue Sony, join us." That's the message from Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SM&C), the Dutch consumer rights organization now backed by two of gaming's most vocal advocacy groups.
Stop Killing Games and DoesItPlay? have formally announced their support for SM&C's lawsuit against Sony in the Netherlands. The case targets Sony's complete control over PlayStation Store pricing, and the timing is no accident.
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What the lawsuit is actually about
The core argument is straightforward: Sony holds a monopoly over every digital game sale on PlayStation. The platform is built so that players can only buy digital titles through the PlayStation Store, with no competing storefronts allowed. SM&C's lawsuit claims this setup lets Sony charge prices that are, on average, up to 47% higher than physical alternatives.
Here's the thing: that gap is about to get a lot harder to avoid. Sony has confirmed it will stop producing physical discs for PlayStation by 2028. Once that happens, the physical option disappears entirely, and so does any competitive pressure on digital pricing. The lawsuit demands Sony repay money made from Dutch gamers under these conditions, and calls for the introduction of alternative digital storefronts on the platform.
How Stop Killing Games fits into this
Stop Killing Games made its name fighting a different but related battle: pushing back against publishers who destroy games that customers have already paid for. The movement has picked up serious momentum over the past year, with Ross Scott's campaign drawing attention to the legal grey area around game ownership.
The connection to this lawsuit makes sense. Both issues come down to the same question: what do you actually own when you buy a game digitally? If Sony controls the only store, sets the prices, and can remove access whenever it wants, the answer is looking increasingly uncomfortable.
DoesItPlay? is approaching things from a slightly different angle. The group is organizing a PlayStation blackout toward the end of August, specifically protesting Sony's decision to phase out physical media. Their involvement here signals the protest is escalating from social media pressure into legal territory.
The 2028 deadline and what it changes
Sony's plan to end physical disc production in 2028 is the pressure point that makes this lawsuit more urgent. Right now, a player who thinks digital prices are too high can buy a disc instead. That option goes away in less than two years.
The lawsuit's demands are focused on two outcomes: fair pricing without what SM&C describes as a "Sony tax," and the creation of alternative digital storefronts that could compete with the PlayStation Store. Whether Dutch courts have the authority to force Sony to open its platform to competitors is a genuinely open legal question, but the case will force Sony to publicly defend its current setup.
SM&C has published a video explaining the full case, and both Stop Killing Games and DoesItPlay? are directing their communities toward it. For players who want to follow the case or understand what it means for digital ownership more broadly, checking out our gaming guides is a good way to stay sharp on how these platform decisions affect your actual game library.
For PlayStation owners specifically, the Pragmata preload and pricing guide is worth a look as a concrete example of how digital launch pricing works on the platform right now.
The August blackout from DoesItPlay? and the Dutch court proceedings are running on parallel tracks. If both gain traction at the same time, Sony is going to face pressure from two directions simultaneously. The next few months will determine whether this stays a consumer advocacy story or becomes something that actually changes how PlayStation handles its digital store. Keep an eye on our game reviews for ongoing coverage of how platform decisions are shaping what players can actually buy and keep.
