Kotaku reports that a law firm has recently filed a class action lawsuit against Sony for a whopping $5 million USD. The reason for this lawsuit? A game on the PS4 doesn’t run in 1080p.
That’s right. The firm behind this suit claims that Sony misled gamers with Killzone: Shadowfall by simply replicating high resolution graphics using upscaling technology in the PS4 instead of actually providing them as they claimed.
The suit itself says:
2. According to Sony, Killzone was a graphically striking game set in a dystopian future that took full advantage of the PS4’s advanced processing power. Sony claimed that the PS4was so powerful that its featured Killzone video game could display “1080p” multiplayer graphics,a crowning achievement in the video game industry.
3. However, after the game’s release, gamers quickly noticed and complained that Killzone’s multiplayer graphics were blurry to the point of distraction. The cause of this blurriness went unknown until a well-respected video game website reported that Killzone’s multiplayer didnot actually provide “1080p” graphics as advertised.
4. Following this discovery, Sony released an official statement on the matter. In it,Sony admitted that it did not in fact design Killzone to display multiplayer graphics in 1080p, but instead used a technological shortcut that was supposed to provide “subjectively similar” results.
Back in March, the developers of Killzone defended the debate of MP being a native 1080p, claiming they used a process they call “temporal reprojection.”
The firm claims that “Temporal Reprojection” is not native 1080p, and Sony has not added any disclosures or warnings about this process on Killzone: Shadowfall’s box or website.
This isn’t the first time this law firm has sued companies over games, either. Edelson LLC has also filed suits against Sega and Gearbox over Aliens: Colonial Marines and EA for breaking promises made about Battlefield 3.
In the paperwork for this suit against Sony, we also get a detailed version of the plaintiff’s experience buying the game. The highlight of this portion can be seen below.
55. Had Plaintiff known that Killzone’s multiplayer mode was not running at a graphics resolution of 1080p, he would have not have purchased Killzone at all, or would have paid substantially less for it.
The full script of this lawsuit can be read here.
So, what do you guys think of this? Is this lawsuit against Sony going to go anywhere? Do you think it holds any truth? If you had known Killzone: Shadowfall, or any game for that matter, was not a native 1080p, would that affect if you buy the game or not? Leave your thoughts below. And remember, stay tuned to Gamer Headlines for all of your Sony and gaming news!
The author can be contacted at brandonb@gamerheadlines.com or on twitter @Cousin_Vinnie99.
