The Authority Found the PS4’s Store Information on Its Packaging Lacking
Sony has been reportedly hit with a 2 million euro fine by an Italian antitrust authority for the “lack of information” on the PS4’s packaging for PlayStation Store purchases and the PlayStation Plus requirement for multiplayer modes.
According to the Italian news outlet, Ansa, the antitrust authority, Authority for Communications Guarantees (AGCOM), said that since the info regarding online purchases on the packaging was lacking in clarity then this could “likely [mislead] consumers”.
AGCOM argued that “the need for a PlayStation Plus paid subscription for being able to play [online multiplayer] is not available to the consumer in clear and immediately perceptible [language]” and that this info is conveyed to buyers “with a very small and difficult to read [info], only at the back of the package.”
The authority also said that “the lack and/or omission of the information provided also concerns the [remote process of purchasing games] through the PlayStation Store application”. “During the purchase process it is not highlighted, clearly and from the first contact, the fact that the PlayStation paid subscription is required [for using] the videogame in online multiplayer mode,” part of the authority’s report on the matter read.
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Sources: Ansa, AGCOM report (Page 230)