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Sony has started to intensively clean up the PlayStation Store of so-called shovelware, which are low-quality games created en masse and often copying popular titles. In its latest move, the company has removed entire catalogs of several publishers, showing that the problem has finally been taken more seriously than before.
Sony removes entire publisher catalogs to limit the flood of cheap and repetitive games in the PlayStation Store
Hundreds of games from publishers like GoGame Console Publisher and VRCForge Studios have disappeared from the platform. This is yet another such action in 2026, suggesting that Sony is conducting regular "clean-ups" in its store. The problem is that shovelware often masquerades as popular productions, offering very similar names, graphics, and mechanics but lacking quality.
Such productions are often created just to easily earn trophies or capitalise on popular trends. As a result, they clutter the store and make it difficult to find valuable titles. This is a problem that affects not only PlayStation but the entire digital distribution industry.
The problem still exists because Sony is acting reactively instead of blocking such games at the publication stage
Despite removing games, shovelware still often returns under different names or from new publishers. Sony's current actions are more of a response to reports than a real quality filter. Without tightening publication rules and more thorough verification, the problem may repeat indefinitely.
An interesting aspect is that Sony's actions are part of a broader industry initiative involving Microsoft and Nintendo. This may mean larger changes in the future, but for now, the effects are limited.
Sony is taking a step in the right direction, but it's just the beginning of the fight against shovelware. Without better control of publications, the problem will keep returning, despite further "purges" in the store.
source: digitaltrends.com
