Stop Killing Games join lawsuit against the PlayStation Store’s “Sony Tax,” in latest venture beyond game preservation

Game preservation group Stop Killing Games has thrown its support behind a Dutch lawsuit accusing Sony of running an illegal monopoly over digital PlayStation game sales, alleging the firm imposes a "Sony Tax" by pricing games higher on the PlayStation Store than at physical retail. The move matters because it signals the campaign group is broadening its focus well beyond its founding cause of keeping discontinued games playable, after setbacks to its core preservation goals, and because it adds pressure on Sony just as the company reportedly plans to phase out physical games by 2028, which would remove the PlayStation Store's only real competitor.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2024 by Dutch consumer group Stichting Massaschade & Consument, which argues that PlayStation Store price premiums breach competition rules and wants affected Dutch consumers refunded the difference. Stop Killing Games and fellow activists Does It Play? have amplified an SM&C video backing the case, and this follows the group's recent campaigning against a proposed UK VPN ban and social media age verification rules, as well as criticism of Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick's comments on game streaming. Critics suggest the group may be seeking a new focus after failing to secure European Commission legislation on game preservation and after a related US bill stalled in California, though Stop Killing Games says it will keep pushing for amendments to the EU's Digital Fairness Act.