Sony delists 700 PS4 and PS5 shovelware games from PS Store, with many using generative AI

After removing nearly 1200 targets in January, Sony has purged more PS4 and PS5 games from the PlayStation Store. This time, Nostra Games was the victim, with around 90 shovelware titles delisted. Once again, Sony gave no explanation, but many of the projects relied on generative AI tools.

A defiant Nostra Games

When considering regional variations, Nostra Games saw 700 games disappear. As the Delisted Games site reports, the company responded to the news on Discord. It confirmed it had no advanced warning but plans to keep releasing titles on the Nintendo eShop, Xbox, and Steam.

In addition, listings from CGI Lab are no longer live on the PlayStation Store. After accounting for all the subtractions, it’s estimated that 1,000 games were affected.  

Hunters of PlayStation trophies are often the first to notice changes on the storefront. In this instance, a PSNProfiles forum poster recognized the eradication of dozens of selections. Shovelware presents easier paths to accomplishments, quickly boosting these gamers’ profiles.

Recently, there has been pushback against hastily made PS4/PS5 games from sites that rank trophy collectors. Requiring less skill, contenders can rack up achievements with minimal effort. While PSNProfiles doesn’t exclude all products of generative AI, many of the offenders employ the technology.

What does Sony think of AI games?

For casual players, the streamlined PS Store is now easier to browse. Yet, despite the significant impact, Sony refuses to comment when it takes action against shovelware. Unlike Steam, the company doesn’t force publishers to post AI disclaimers. Instead, it seems to focus on low-quality efforts, obvious imitations of popular games, and policy violators.

Nostra Games may take temporary refuge on the Nintendo eShop. Still, the indie developer of Dungeons of Dusk revealed that the company had also taken a stronger stance against generative AI slop. It’s become stricter about what Switch and Switch 2 games can appear on the marketplace. Previously, the gaming giant changed the ranking system to deemphasize generic knockoffs.