{"id":2008511,"date":"2026-06-24T13:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T10:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2008511"},"modified":"2026-06-24T13:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T10:47:18","slug":"sony-seemingly-enforcing-stricter-guidelines-on-playstation-store-to-remove-the-mounds-of-ps5-shovelware-games-accumulating-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2008511","title":{"rendered":"Sony seemingly enforcing &#8220;stricter guidelines&#8221; on PlayStation Store to remove the mounds of PS5 shovelware games accumulating there"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Sony seemingly enforcing &#8220;stricter guidelines&#8221; on PlayStation Store to remove the mounds of PS5 shovelware games accumulating there<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Should get a Trophy for it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/cat-pipes-thumbnail-1.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"cat-pipes-thumbnail-1.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Afil Games<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/sherif-saed\">Sherif Saed<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-24T13:47:18+00:00\">June 24, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-ps5-playstation-store-stricter-guidelines-shovelware-games?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          4 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Sony appears to be implementing &#8220;stricter&#8221; rules for releasing games on the PlayStation Store in an effort to cut down on the amount of shovelware &#8211; low effort games &#8211; that are appearing there.<\/p>\n<p>Afil Games is a publisher affected by this, and it announced on social media that its games are being removed from the PlayStation Store and that its future output will not arrive there either.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Chico&apos;s Delivery - A cute indie game with a pizza delivery guy | Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8uXcRjGEGDc?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/8uXcRjGEGDc\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Chico&#8217;s Delivery &#8211; A cute indie game with a pizza delivery guy | Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8uXcRjGEGDc\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;We would like to share an important update regarding our releases for the PlayStation platform,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AfilGames\/status\/2069431282660958413\/photo\/1\">Afil Games&#8217; statement on X<\/a> began (via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pushsquare.com\/news\/2026\/06\/ps5-shovelware-dev-confirms-stricter-publishing-guidelines-from-sony\">Push Square<\/a>). &#8220;As many of you may already know, since the beginning of this year PlayStation has been implementing stricter guidelines for publishing games on its platform. As a result of these new guidelines and their incompatibility with our business model, PlayStation has decided not to continue its partnership with Afil Games for future releases on the platform.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Afil Games is the Brazilian publisher and developer of games such as Chico&#8217;s Delivery, Chippy&#8217;s Stash, and Cat Pipes &#8211; all legit bangers I&#8217;m sure. It has published <a href=\"https:\/\/afilgames.com\/games\/?jsf=jet-engine&amp;tax=platform:81\">dozens of casual games<\/a>, many of which exist to pad-out players&#8217; Trophy counts. Many publishers offer Trophy hunters easy ways to earn the digital silverware in their games, which are often incredibly simplistic and easy to beat as a result.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>But Sony has demonstrably gotten more serious about shoveling the shovelware away. This year alone, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sonys-battle-against-shovelware-publishers-persists-as-it-purges-another-load-of-crap-games-from-the-playstation-store\">Sony targeted several offending publishers<\/a>, removing thousands of their games across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-wiped-over-1000-shovelware-games-off-the-playstation-store-without-warning-all-from-a-single-developer\">multiple waves<\/a> of removals. This effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/playstation-quietly-removes-slop-shovelware-ps5-games-following-investigation\">remove &#8220;slop&#8221; games, as they&#8217;re commonly known,<\/a> seemed to begin last year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We would like to sincerely thank all PlayStation players who have supported us throughout this journey,&#8221; Afil wrote. &#8220;Your enthusiasm and trust have played a significant role in our growth. We remain committed to bringing new experiences to our players through Xbox One, Xbox Series, Microsoft Store, and Nintendo Switch.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve reached out to Sony interactive Entertainment for comment and will update this story if we hear back.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Sony appears to be implementing &#8220;stricter&#8221; rules for releasing games on the PlayStation Store in an effort to cut down on the amount of shovelware &#8211; low effort games &#8211; that are appearing there.<\/p>\n<p>Afil Games is a publisher affected by this, and it announced on social media that its games are being removed from the PlayStation Store and that its future output will not arrive there either.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Chico&apos;s Delivery - A cute indie game with a pizza delivery guy | Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8uXcRjGEGDc?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/8uXcRjGEGDc\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Chico&#8217;s Delivery &#8211; A cute indie game with a pizza delivery guy | Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8uXcRjGEGDc\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;We would like to share an important update regarding our releases for the PlayStation platform,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AfilGames\/status\/2069431282660958413\/photo\/1\">Afil Games&#8217; statement on X<\/a> began (via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pushsquare.com\/news\/2026\/06\/ps5-shovelware-dev-confirms-stricter-publishing-guidelines-from-sony\">Push Square<\/a>). &#8220;As many of you may already know, since the beginning of this year PlayStation has been implementing stricter guidelines for publishing games on its platform. As a result of these new guidelines and their incompatibility with our business model, PlayStation has decided not to continue its partnership with Afil Games for future releases on the platform.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Afil Games is the Brazilian publisher and developer of games such as Chico&#8217;s Delivery, Chippy&#8217;s Stash, and Cat Pipes &#8211; all legit bangers I&#8217;m sure. It has published <a href=\"https:\/\/afilgames.com\/games\/?jsf=jet-engine&amp;tax=platform:81\">dozens of casual games<\/a>, many of which exist to pad-out players&#8217; Trophy counts. Many publishers offer Trophy hunters easy ways to earn the digital silverware in their games, which are often incredibly simplistic and easy to beat as a result.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>But Sony has demonstrably gotten more serious about shoveling the shovelware away. This year alone, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sonys-battle-against-shovelware-publishers-persists-as-it-purges-another-load-of-crap-games-from-the-playstation-store\">Sony targeted several offending publishers<\/a>, removing thousands of their games across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-wiped-over-1000-shovelware-games-off-the-playstation-store-without-warning-all-from-a-single-developer\">multiple waves<\/a> of removals. This effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/playstation-quietly-removes-slop-shovelware-ps5-games-following-investigation\">remove &#8220;slop&#8221; games, as they&#8217;re commonly known,<\/a> seemed to begin last year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We would like to sincerely thank all PlayStation players who have supported us throughout this journey,&#8221; Afil wrote. &#8220;Your enthusiasm and trust have played a significant role in our growth. We remain committed to bringing new experiences to our players through Xbox One, Xbox Series, Microsoft Store, and Nintendo Switch.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve reached out to Sony interactive Entertainment for comment and will update this story if we hear back.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Sony seemingly enforcing &#8220;stricter guidelines&#8221; on PlayStation Store to remove the mounds of PS5 shovelware games accumulating there Should get a Trophy for it. Image credit: Afil Games News by Sherif Saed Contributor Published on June 24, 2026 4 comments Sony appears to be implementing &#8220;stricter&#8221; rules for releasing games on the PlayStation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2008511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2008511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2008511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2008511\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2008511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2008511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2008511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}