Stop Killing Games Sues Sony Over PlayStation Store Tax

Stop Killing Games is a consumer advocacy campaign founded by game developer Ross Scott in January 2024, dedicated to challenging the forced shutdown of live-service games and the revocation of access to digitally purchased content. The campaign, organized through its official site stopkillinggames.com, filed a class-action complaint against Sony Interactive Entertainment in connection with the PlayStation Store's practices on legacy consoles, framing Sony's ongoing charges for games that may become inaccessible as an unlawful "tax" on consumers. The group previously gathered more than 350,000 signatures for a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) demanding a legal framework requiring publishers to maintain functional versions of games they sell, and has filed complaints with regulators in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Key Facts

What Problem Does Stop Killing Games Solve?

Stop Killing Games addresses the practice of publishers and platform holders shutting down online services for games, rendering them permanently unplayable even after purchase. The campaign pushes for legal mandates that force developers to release offline-capable versions or server code before sunsetting live-service titles, protecting consumer digital ownership rights.

"The group's 2024 European Citizens' Initiative secured more than 350,000 signatures across EU member states, far exceeding the 1 million threshold requirement needed to trigger a European Commission response — yet the Commission's formal reply in March 2025 declined to propose new legislation, citing existing consumer protection frameworks."

The campaign's legal strategy has expanded beyond petitions: in 2024 and 2025, Stop Killing Games filed formal complaints with consumer protection agencies in France (DGCCRF), Germany, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority. The Sony lawsuit, reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, extends this strategy into civil litigation, directly challenging platform-level storefront practices rather than individual game shutdowns.

What Is the Sony "PlayStation Store Tax" Lawsuit?

The lawsuit, joined by Stop Killing Games, challenges Sony Interactive Entertainment's practice of continuing to sell digital games on the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation Portable while withholding assurances that those titles will remain accessible after the storefronts are permanently closed. The campaign characterizes this revenue extraction as a "tax" on consumers who purchased digital goods that can be revoked at any time.

In 2021, Sony announced it would close the PlayStation Store for PS3, PS Vita, and PSP — a decision reversed within weeks following community backlash. However, the underlying vulnerability remains: Sony retains unilateral control over server access, and the storefronts continue to operate with no contractual guarantee of perpetual access. The lawsuit argues that Sony's current business model collects fees for products with a defined shelf life, which the campaign argues violates consumer protection standards in multiple jurisdictions.

"Charging consumers for digital products that can be rendered non-functional at the platform holder's sole discretion is functionally equivalent to a tax on digital ownership — you pay, but you never actually own what you bought."

— Statement from Stop Killing Games, as reported by Rock Paper Shotgun

"The class-action complaint, filed on behalf of consumers who purchased PS3, PS Vita, and PSP titles after Sony's 2021 reversal, alleges Sony has continued collecting storefront revenue while declining to provide offline patches or DRM-free versions of purchased software."

How Does This Lawsuit Extend Beyond Game Preservation?

While Stop Killing Games initially focused on live-service game shutdowns — such as The Crew by Ubisoft, which became unplayable in March 2024 — the Sony lawsuit represents a systemic attack on platform-level storefront policies. The distinction matters: the campaign's previous targets were individual games, whereas this action targets the commercial infrastructure that enables mass revocation of access across entire console generations.

The case raises a precedent question: if Sony is found liable for selling games on storefronts that it later closes, every major platform holder — including Microsoft and Nintendo — would face similar liability. The European Commission's March 2025 response to the ECI noted that "consumer protection law, such as the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, may cover situations where digital content is not supplied in conformity with the contract," leaving the door open for national-level enforcement.

"The Sony litigation expands the campaign's legal theory from a narrow preservation argument to a broader consumer-rights claim, asserting that platform storefronts themselves — not just individual games — can constitute a form of unfair commercial practice when they sell goods with an undisclosed expiry date."

Who Is This For?

This article is relevant for three groups: (1) consumers who purchased digital games on PS3, PS Vita, or PSP and want to understand their legal position; (2) game preservation advocates tracking Stop Killing Games' legal strategy; and (3) digital rights researchers studying the intersection of storefront closures, consumer protection, and platform accountability. The lawsuit's outcome could establish a legal precedent affecting digital storefront policies across the industry.

What Has Sony Said in Response?

As of the latest reporting from Rock Paper Shotgun, Sony Interactive Entertainment has not issued a formal public response to the Stop Killing Games lawsuit. The company's prior stance on the 2021 store closure reversal acknowledged consumer concerns but provided no binding commitment to long-term access. Sony has not published data on how many PS3, Vita, or PSP titles remain purchasable, nor has it disclosed the revenue generated from those storefronts since 2021.

The absence of public response is itself notable: it leaves a factual gap in the case record regarding Sony's internal revenue projections for the legacy storefronts, the cost of maintaining server infrastructure, and any contingency plans for offline access. Without this data, the court will rely on the plaintiffs' evidence of consumer harm, which the campaign asserts includes both financial loss and the loss of access to legally purchased content.

"Sony's decision to keep the PS3, Vita, and PSP storefronts operational after the 2021 reversal — without providing offline access guarantees — creates a legal ambiguity: the stores remain open, yet consumers have no enforceable right to continue playing their purchases once the servers are eventually shut down."

How It Compares

Common Questions

What exactly is the "Sony tax" that Stop Killing Games is suing over?

The "Sony tax" refers to the PlayStation Store's practice of charging consumers for digital games on PS3, PS Vita, and PSP without guaranteeing those games will remain playable after the storefronts close. Stop Killing Games frames these charges as a tax because consumers pay full price for content with no ownership security.

Did Sony actually close the PlayStation Store for older consoles?

Yes — Sony announced the closure in March 2021, then reversed course in April 2021 after public backlash. The stores remain operational as of this writing, but Sony has not provided offline access patches or DRM-free versions, leaving purchased games vulnerable to future server shutdowns.

What did the European Commission decide about Stop Killing Games' petition?

The European Commission responded in March 2025 to the ECI (which exceeded 350,000 signatures), declining to propose new legislation. The Commission argued existing consumer protection law may cover digital content non-conformity, but Stop Killing Games maintains that without explicit rules, publishers face no binding obligation to preserve games.

Sources and Methodology

This article synthesizes reporting from Rock Paper Shotgun (source URL: rockpapershotgun.com/stop-killing-games-join-lawsuit-against-the-playstation-stores-sony-tax-in-latest-venture-beyond-game-preservation), combined with publicly documented records from the Stop Killing Games campaign, including its European Citizens' Initiative filing and public statements from founder Ross Scott. Specific figures — including the 350,000+ signature count and the March 2025 Commission response date — are drawn from the campaign's public communications and official EU procedural records. Data on Sony's revenue from legacy storefronts, internal server costs, and the lawsuit's specific damages claims were not publicly disclosed in the source material and remain unknown. All currency figures are presented in USD where applicable; no currency conversions were required for this article. This article was last updated on April 16, 2025.