US Congress raises concerns about Sony's "monopoly" on Japan's gaming market
US Members of Congress have raised concerns to the Biden administration about Sony's «monopoly» on the gaming market in Japan.
Senator Maria Cantwell last week remarked during a Senate Finance Committee hearing that Sony was engaging in «blatant anti-competitive conduct», reports Politico.
Further, she called upon US Trade Representative Katherine Tai to «investigate these exclusionary conducts».
Said Cantwell: «I'm told that Sony controls a monopoly of 98% of the high-end game market, yet Japan's government has allowed Sony to engage in blatant anti-competitive conduct through exclusive deals and payments to game publishers.»
She then posed the question to Tai: «So what do you think we can do to [better] address these issues and create a level playing field with the [Indo-Pacific Economic Framework] on something as important as this issue?»
Tai has responded that any competition and digital issues will be covered by the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), though declined to comment directly on Sony.
It's quite the statement, especially as it seemingly ignores the prevalence of Nintendo in Japan. Until recently, the Switch was consistently the top-selling console in the country and Nintendo games dominate software sales.
By comparison, Xbox has traditionally struggled to sell consoles in Japan.
Now, two letters from lawmakers — one from Democrats, one from Republicans — have been sent to Tai and commerce secretary Gina Raimondo in response to Cantwell's comments, reports Axios.
The Republican letter alleges Sony signs deals designed to keep Japanese games from Microsoft's Xbox, which «may violate Japan's antitrust laws».
It continues: «The Japanese government's effective policy of non-prosecution when
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