Page:Senator Kevin Cramer's letter to Sony.pdf/1



April 13, 2023

Mr. Kenichiro Yoshida Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer 1-7-1 Konan Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0075 Japan

Dear Mr. Yoshida,

I write to express concern about Sony’s efforts to protect its gaming console business from competition. For more than 20 years, Sony has utterly dominated the gaming console market, as that market has been defined by the Federal Trade Commission. I am concerned Sony’s dominance of that market, and its efforts to perpetuate its current position imperils an important economic development opportunity for North Dakota. [sic] Therefore, I write to request more information about Sony’s anticompetitive business practices.

As you know, gaming is a large and rapidly growing economic sector. A recent Accenture study estimated the gaming industry generated revenues of over $200 billion in 2021, and it remains on track to grow by over 20 percent on an annualized basis. To prepare North Dakotans for careers in this burgeoning industry and other technology fields, North Dakota has developed a strategy to lead the nation in computer science and cybersecurity education to organically grow the next generation of technology professionals. Preparing students for careers in gaming is an important component of this effort. This includes the 14 North Dakota high schools and universities participating in the competitive eSports revolution by instituting competitive gaming programs. Last year, the University of North Dakota became one of the first U.S. higher education institutions to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in eSports, providing students with a career path to the video gaming industry.

These investments are already showing their worth. Video gaming in the state produces an economic impact of more than $20.6 million statewide and accounts for an estimated 221 jobs, according to the Entertainment Software Association. As gaming increasingly moves to mobile platforms, those numbers are set to grow dramatically. North Dakota projects approximately a 14 percent increase in technology job openings over the next 10 years and estimates 6,320 new and