Sony may have blocked 4th largest publisher on PS Store, targeting shovelware PS4/PS5 games

One of the most prolific sellers on the PlayStation Store is not a company many gamers would recognize. ThiGamesDE populated the marketplace with 1194 PS4/PS5 games, ranking fourth among publishers. With new selections popping up constantly, it earned the reputation of a shovelware giant. However, those titles have now all disappeared from PSN.

Did Sony finally respond to customer complaints?

PlayStation trophy hunter RobThanatos alerted fans about the sudden delisting on social media. At the moment, it’s uncertain if Sony took action or ThiGamesDE removed its own listings. Nevertheless, fans who complain about low-effort projects spamming the PS Store are celebrating.

The company in question marketed such classics as The Jumping Spaghetti and The Jumping Ice Cube. Critics noted that multiple versions of essentially the same game would regularly multiply.

Shovelware titles are often cheap clones of existing options. Alternatively, they mimic popular games that dominate wishlists. Generative AI tools make it even more straightforward to produce familiar images that fool audiences.

Trophy hunters depend on shovelware

Gamers obsessed with collecting trophies often gravitate toward quick-to-complete games. Whether these players will see these accomplishments erased from their accounts remains to be seen. Other shoppers are happy to see fewer generic-looking targets proliferating the PS Store.

The latest delisting isn’t the first time Sony may have removed suspicious PS4 or PS5 games from its store. In April 2025, PlayStation Lifestyle discussed how R.E.P.O.: Ghost Haul and Supermarket Simulator 2025, among other titles, vanished. Even so, PlayStation appears to be fighting a losing battle. There seems to be a never-ending supply of copycats waiting in reserve.

PlayStation isn’t the only gaming giant facing the same issue. The Nintendo eShop has become inundated with shovelware, sometimes with borderline explicit content. Sony, along with Microsoft and Nintendo, just announced an update on their joint campaign for safer gaming. Still, many knock-offs may be low-quality, but don’t break platform guidelines.