PlayStation/Steam Storefronts Facing Investigation By Polish Consumer Protection Entity For Anti-Competitive Practices

Market practices performed by major platform holders for the most post appears to bring more revenue users, creators, and revenue for the industry. However, the discussion on where to improve and the current state of select storefronts remains in question. Over at PlayStation, there was a previous campaign sprung up by numerous independent studios labeling the process to be over complicated and fairly difficult for teams at that scale.

Additionally, the PlayStation firm also faced a new lawsuit recently in regards to the PlayStation Store. According to Reuters, consumer advocate Alex Neill proposed an $8 billion lawsuit against the firm for its 30 percent commission on digital purchases. What’s more is that the Sony division is now under investigation in Poland as well.

Attached to a new investigation held by Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), a preliminary investigation was executed on both the PlayStation Store as well as Steam. Previously, we witnessed Epic Games protest the 88 percent revenue share when combating Steam through its own Epic Games Store in 2019.

“The digital game distribution market is displacing traditional sales. Gamers are increasingly less likely to buy games in boxes but are sourcing digital copies on online sales platforms. At the same time, we see that there may be restrictive practices by major players in this market,”UOKiK president Tomasz Chróstny says. “ That is why I have initiated the preliminary investigation and have had three entrepreneurs inspected. We are currently reviewing the collected evidence.”

In the past we witnessed the scrutiny of Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. Following the release of Cyberpunk 2077, the government entity striked an investigation on the the execution of the game’s advertising compared to the state of the title’s release at launch. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you surprised PlayStation or Steam are under investigation?

Source: Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection