{"id":654653,"date":"2026-06-23T21:11:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/654653\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T21:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:11:13","slug":"ps5-shovelware-dev-confirms-stricter-publishing-guidelines-from-sony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/654653\/","title":{"rendered":"PS5 Shovelware Dev Confirms ‘Stricter’ Publishing Guidelines from Sony"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PS5<\/a> Image: Push Square<\/p>\n

Sony has waged war on the shovelware publishers taking over the PS Store<\/a>, and slowly but surely we\u2019re learning a little more about the platform holder\u2019s process behind-the-scenes.<\/p>\n

Afil Games \u2013 the purveyor of low-effort software like Collie Call<\/a> and Cute Bonfire<\/a> \u2013 has confirmed that \u201cPlayStation has been implementing stricter guidelines for publishing games on its platform\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Brazil-based studio said<\/a> these new policies mean its \u201cfuture releases\u201d will no longer be available on the PS5. Furthermore, all of its previous titles \u2013 of which there are over 900 \u2013 will be removed from the PS Store in due course.<\/p>\n

#Afilgames<\/a> #Playstation<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/w4dmVToTIQ<\/a>\u2014 Afil Games (@AfilGames) June 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first we\u2019ve seen of this, as tens of thousands of titles<\/a> have been removed from Sony\u2019s storefront this year alone.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve certainly seen worse games than the ones published by Afil Games, but many look like copy-and-pastes of the same basic idea, with asset flips. They all have extremely easy Trophy lists, as is par for the course with software that can\u2019t stand on its own like this.<\/p>\n

The developer says it\u2019s \u201ccommitted to bringing new experiences to our players on the Xbox One, Xbox Series, Microsoft Store, and Nintendo Switch\u201d.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t proclaim to speak for everyone here, but I think this is one catalogue the PS5 can do without.<\/p>\n

\"Sammy<\/p>\n

As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He\u2019s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.<\/p>\n