Sony Removes Hundreds of AI Shovelware Games from the PlayStation Store

Sony just wiped out hundreds of low-quality games from the PlayStation Store. The sudden cleanup targets two main publishers, Nostra Games and CGI Lab, resulting in an estimated total of over one thousand specific listings being completely removed from the platform.

Most of these deleted games relied heavily on generative AI and offered players quick, easy trophies with almost zero actual gameplay value or real effort.

Sony has a problem with trophy hunting games

For a while now, the PlayStation Store has struggled with developers flooding the market. Companies like Nostra Games would publish basic games and then release multiple regional versions of the same title. This tactic is known as stacking. It allows trophy hunters to buy the same simple game several times to quickly farm platinum trophies. Players get easy rewards, and the developers make a quick profit.

Sony did not give any official warning before removing the titles. Nostra Games posted on Discord to confirm the removals, stating they have no idea why their games were targeted. 

While the PlayStation Store does not have strict written rules against using artificial intelligence, it is clear that Sony is finally pushing back against cheap knockoffs. The company previously banned around 1,200 similar games back in January.

Even though Sony is cracking down, these publishers are not giving up. Nostra Games mentioned they will keep selling their titles on Steam, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch. For now, regular PlayStation users can enjoy a storefront that is much easier to browse without tripping over hundreds of generated clones.

Via Wcctech