Sony has asked a federal judge to dismiss a class action lawsuit seeking to give PlayStation 5 buyers a share of the $508 million in tariff refunds the company expects to recover. The motion was filed Monday and was reported by Game File.
Sony says PS5 buyers suffered no legally cognizable injury
In the filing, Sony’s lawyers wrote that 「Paying fair market price for voluntarily purchased consumer goods is not a legally cognizable injury in fact.」
Sony also called the claim that tariffs caused the August 2025 price increase 「speculative and illogical.」 According to Game File, the company pointed to inflation, currency movements, component costs, logistics, competition, and demand as other possible reasons for the price changes, though it did not provide a breakdown showing which factors applied to its increases.
Sony points to a later price hike
PlayStation prices rose again in March, five weeks after the tariffs fell. That move pushed the standard PS5 to $649.99 in the United States and also lifted prices in the U.K., Europe, and Japan.
The motion argues that if tariffs had driven the first increase, Sony would have lowered prices after those tariffs disappeared rather than raising them again.
Microsoft and Nintendo are fighting similar cases
Microsoft filed a nearly identical motion on August 21 in federal court in Washington in response to a lawsuit brought by gamer Trevor Hastings. Its lawyers wrote that 「there is nothing unjust about Plaintiff purchasing an Xbox at an advertised price,」 and added that no one can now calculate what portion of the price was attributable to tariffs. Microsoft is also trying to move the case into arbitration.
Nintendo moved earlier. In late July, it told a court that it or its retailers set the price and consumers chose whether to pay it. Nintendo has booked $300 million in refunds.
Panic, the maker of the Playdate handheld, refunded the 19% tariff it had charged customers. The report said it is, so far, the only gaming hardware manufacturer to have done that.
How the Sony case developed
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Learning Resources v. Trump that the emergency powers act does not authorize a president to impose tariffs.
The previous August, Sony raised PS5 prices by $50, citing a challenging economic environment. The company also told investors that its tariff bill for the autumn quarter was nearing $200 million.
Amorey Walker and Bryce Foster-Quarles sued on May 6, seeking reimbursement for U.S. buyers who purchased since August 1, 2025.
Another Sony argument in the same court
Sony’s position on what buyers may be owed appears alongside its position on what buyers actually own. Three weeks ago, in the same California court, the company argued that reasonable consumers already understand that they do not own the digital games they buy.
Sony has also separately patented 「super-fungible」 gaming tokens and has been reported to be weighing a stablecoin for game payments.
No ruling yet
No judge has ruled on the motions filed by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo.