Lawyers representing Sony and Microsoft have argued, in two separate lawsuits, that the platform holders are not obligated to pass tariff refunds back to consumers. Sony and Microsoft have had to raise prices of their PlayStation and Xbox consoles in 2025 in response to US-imposed tariffs. The US Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal earlier this year, allowing impacted companies to request refunds.
Both Sony and Microsoft will receive refunds, but consumers who paid higher prices for their products as a result of the tariffs will not be compensated. As reported by Game File, the two companies are being sued separately by affected consumers who say they should receive refunds.
In Sony's case, brought against it by a group of players in California, the company used a familiar line of argument that essentially said consumers got what they paid for.
"Paying fair market price for voluntarily purchased consumer goods is not a legally cognisable injury in fact," Sony argued in a legal motion. The company is seeking to dismiss the suit early before it could turn into a class-action lawsuit.
Microsoft's case was initiated by one individual in Washington State, who is likewise seeking a refund. Once again, the company's argument against the suit is familiar.
"There is nothing unjust about Plaintiff purchasing an Xbox at an advertised price and getting exactly what he paid for - regardless of whatever theory he devised months later about Microsoft's cost structure," Microsoft's lawyers argued.
"Plaintiff provides no specific allegations that would establish any pricing differential attributable to tariffs or suggest any possibility that Microsoft applied then or could recreate now any dollar-for-dollar calculation of tariff-related pricing - any more than it could any other market factor that affects pricing," Microsoft's argument went on.
It's notable that neither Sony nor Microsoft directly named tariffs as the reason they're raising console prices. When Sony raised PlayStation 5 prices in August 2025, the company cited "a challenging economic environment". Microsoft's Xbox price hikes in May of the same year came alongside a statement about "market conditions and the rising cost of development".
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.eurogamer.net/sony-microsoft-no-refunds-us-tariff-lawsuits
