NEW: At least 11 members of Congress have pressed the Biden administration to take action over Sony's alleged interference with Microsoft's Xbox efforts in Japan
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) March 27, 2023
I obtained two letters sent by House reps. The Republican one's a bit spicierhttps://t.co/spi4SqqCYw
10 US Representatives and 1 US Senator, 4 republican and 7 democrat, have now sent letters to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimonda asking them to pressure Japan on why the Japanese regulatory body (Japanese Fair Trade Commission) is allowing Sony to pay for anti-competitive console exclusivity deals with Japanese publishers and developers when Sony already holds a huge marketshare lead over Xbox in Japan.
The Republican letter alleges that Sony's PlayStation has 98% of the “high-end console market in Japan,” signs deals designed to keep hit Japanese games from Microsoft’s Xbox, and says such moves “may violate Japan’s antitrust laws". "The Japanese government’s effective policy of non-prosecution when it comes to Sony appears to be a serious barrier to U.S. exports, with real impacts for Microsoft and the many U.S. game developers and publishers that sell globally but see their earnings in Japan depressed by these practices,” the letter continues.
The letter signed by 6 Democrats contains similar statements.
Last edited by shikamaru317 - on 27 March 2023