Square Enix and Sony Computer Entertainment of America have been hit with a class action lawsuit filed by a San Diego gamer upset over a glitch in Final Fantasy XIII that can cause PS3 consoles to freeze up and become useless.

The lawsuit, which was filed on the behalf of all similarly situated US owners of Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3, alleges that SCEA and Square have been so busy blaming each other for the bricked PS3s, that they haven't remedied the problem or repaired the bricked units (or are charging users for the repair).

The suit alleges numerous violations of California law, including the Unfair Competition Act, the Consumer's Legal Remedies Act, and that the systems breached express and implied warranties. In addition to the contractual and consumer law claims, the suit also pleads claims of negligence and unjust enrichment.

Interestingly, the 28 page complaint cites various posts on Sony's forums as evidence that Sony was aware of the brickings immediately after the Final Fantasy XIII launch.

At this time, neither Sony nor SCEA has commented on the lawsuit. A copy of the Complaint can be viewed here (PDF).


Dan Rosenthal is lawyer and analyst for the video games industry