Sony is set to distribute PlayStation Store credit to more than 4.4 million eligible US PlayStation Network accounts to settle a $7.85 million antitrust class action, with no claim form required as affected accounts were enrolled automatically. The lawsuit, first filed in 2021, alleged that Sony breached the Sherman Act by ending retail download vouchers for digital games in April 2019, removing price competition and effectively giving its own storefront a monopoly. The payout matters as a rare instance of a major platform holder facing financial consequences for anticompetitive digital storefront practices, though the settlement still requires final court approval before any credit is issued.

Eligibility covers digital games bought between April 2019 and December 2023 that previously had retail vouchers with at least 200 redemptions and a subsequent price rise of 50 cents or more, including titles such as The Last of Us Remastered, Bloodborne and No Man's Sky. After legal fees of up to 25%, plaintiff service awards and administration costs are deducted, roughly $5.89 million will remain to be shared, with lead counsel estimating individual payouts of between $0.91 and $33.66 per account. A fairness hearing before Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in San Francisco is scheduled for 15 October, and no credit will be paid until final approval is granted and any appeals are resolved.