Stop Killing Games, the grassroots initiative fighting to prevent game publishers from shutting down servers without offering an alternative, has joined a lawsuit filed in the Netherlands against Sony for its alleged monopoly of selling digital games on the PlayStation Store (via GamesRadar).
The lawsuit has been in the works since 2025, and was brought on by a consumer rights organisation in the country called Stichting Massaschade & Consument on behalf of 1.7 million Dutch PlayStation users. The group launched the ‘Fair PlayStation’ campaign well before Sony decided to end physical PlayStation discs, but the shocking decision has brought it back into the limelight.
The lawsuit’s core argument is that it’s unfair to consumers that Sony is the only company that runs a digital store on every PlayStation console. This will only be exacerbated when discs go away, as digital becomes the sole option for consumers looking to buy a game.
“It’s time to sue Sony, join us” is the title of a video announcing Stop Killing Games and DoesItPlay?’s involvement in SM&C’s lawsuit. “We’re putting our full weight behind SM&C’s case, with the Dutch court,” the video’s description reads.
“SM&C has to show the court it actually represents gamers, not just claims to. Our support backs that up globally. Every Dutch gamer who signs on backs it up directly.
SM&C’s argument is one shared by others who say the end of physical discs could take retailers out of the picture, removing a core element of competition. Indeed, recent analysis – also in the Netherlands – found that games are almost always cheaper in shops compared to the PlayStation Store.
While the PC avoids this problem somewhat by having multiple stores that sell games, a closed system like PlayStation will funnel all players towards the Sony-run PlayStation Store, virtually eliminating all competition.
Stop Killing Games recently suffered a setback in Europe. Following multiple European Parliament hearings, the European Commission decided that it won’t change legislature to allow video games to remain playable after publishers kill servers.
