The Romanian Competition Council (RCC) has opened an antitrust investigation against Sony for restricting the sale of digital PlayStation games on the company’s PlayStation Store.
This is not the first time that Sony has been investigated regarding the matter, as the company has previously faced lawsuits against these alleged practices, as one of them was rejected in the United States during the past year.
He says Romanian Competition Council, Restricting Digital Games on the PlayStation Store is Anti-Competitive, Quoting a Newer Community User ResetEraThe RCC claims that Sony may have violated competition laws in Romania by forcing gamers to buy digital games through the PS Store. The authority also believes that the Japanese company “may have abused its store” in the console market by banning the sale of game codes through competing distributors.
The Romanian RCC also reported that Sony has reduced purchasing options for players, allowing it to charge higher prices. These monopoly issues have been a point of contention in the industry and when it comes to video games Sony is the only manufacturer that does not allow the sale of digital game codes through third parties.
In a press release announcing the investigation, the RCC revealed that it would conduct “investigations” in PlayStation offices in Europe to gather more information and evidence in this regard. The RCC did not say how long the investigation would take.
Obviously, the issues around monopoly are very much in focus this year, especially after the Microsoft deal has brought competition and these sorts of issues to light within the industry more than ever before.
Do you see that PlayStation exercises a monopoly in this way?
