Over in the UK, PlayStation is facing a lawsuit in the amount of £5 billion, which would be comparable price-wise in USD. This legal claim has been made by consumer rights campaign Alex Neill, who claims PlayStation's terms and conditions placed on developers and publishers that sell games on its platforms are in breach of competition law.
As many gamers know, many platforms take a cut of all sales. This is not only true of Sony, but of other platforms like Steam and the App Store, which generally take 30%. One leading platform that takes less than this is the Epic Games Store, which takes 12%. It is this cut that Neill alleges is resulting in overcharges for consumers.
As reported by Sky News, VGC, and other UK news sources, the lawsuit claims that this cut is an anti-competitive strategy that is costing consumers millions when they can't afford it, with the case-leading partner Natasha Pearman also stating that such a strategy is resulting in "excessive prices to customers that are out of all proportion to the costs of Sony providing its services." This lawsuit, if it were to go through, would result in any UK resident who has bought games or DLC from the PlayStation Store since August 2016 being entitled to up to £562 in damages, plus interest (with each person's bottom line being £67, plus interest).
This is said to benefit around 9 million people in the UK, if the suit was won. However, it's not the first anti-competitive lawsuit to be brought up against Sony or digital store owners, with those suits often being dismissed, and it's not likely to be the last either. The 70/30 revenue split has been around for some time, with Epic reducing its take to 12% being applauded, and there are many critics of the 70/30 model as a whole who believe it's outdated. It's a controversial, if sticking, revenue model, but Sony could easily argue how this is necessary to keep the lights on for its digital store, so to speak.
However, outside the funds being directed back into consumer hands, it's not clear if the lawsuit addresses the legalities or any resolutions for the 70/30 model. Specifically, it's unclear if the allegation is that Sony shouldn't be taking any commissions from third-party sales on its platform at all or if the 30% is simply too much. It should be noted that, per a recent poll, only about 6% of game developers believe the 70/30 model is justified.