US - China Trade War: Sony Warns That Tariffs Could Impact PlayStation Prices

Gamers may be the next group of consumers impacted by the trade war between China and the United States.

Sony, like many other electronics companies over the last few years, has shifted more of its manufacturing to China. The products built there include the PlayStation, which just sold over 100 million units.

However, Sony execs are now warning that PlayStation could see a price increase because of the ongoing tariff battle between two top economies.

“We believe, and therefore have told the U.S. government, that higher tariffs would ultimately damage the U.S. economy,” Sony Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki told the Wall Street Journal.

He added that if the tariffs were to continue, consumers may have to share some of the cost to account for import fees.

Totoki’s comments came on the heels of a tariff increase of 10% to 25% President Trump ordered in May on $200 billion of imports from China, which included video game products.

While the U.S. and China have resumed trade talks, there is still a fear within the games industry over how tariffs could impact business in the future.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo had sent a letter in June to the White House asking for video game products to be removed from future tariffs. The three argued continued tariffs on game products coming from China could stifle innovation, negatively impact consumers, and even threaten jobs.

Nintendo announced they would be shifting some production of the Switch from China to Vietnam to counteract possible future tariffs.