Sony appears to be rolling out tighter rules for releasing games on the PlayStation Store, as part of a broader effort to limit shovelware—cheap, low-effort titles—on the service.
Afil Games is among the publishers affected by the change. Using social media, the company said its games are being taken down from the PlayStation Store, and that its upcoming releases won’t be offered there either.
“We wish to provide an important update concerning our releases for the PlayStation platform,” Afil Games’ announcement on X stated (via Push Square). “As many of you may already be aware, since the start of this year, PlayStation has been introducing more stringent guidelines for publishing games on its platform. Consequently, due to the incompatibility of these new regulations with our business model, PlayStation has opted not to continue its collaboration with Afil Games for any future releases on the platform.”
Afil Games, the Brazilian publisher and developer behind titles such as Chico’s Delivery, Chippy’s Stash, and Cat Pipes—all of which have earned attention—has launched numerous casual games. Many of these are created to let players boost their Trophy progress. It’s also common for publishers to offer Trophy hunters straightforward ways to rack up digital awards, and these games are often extremely easy and fast to finish as a result.
Still, Sony has moved more firmly against shovelware. Earlier this year, Sony went after several problematic publishers, deleting thousands of titles across multiple rounds of removals. The push to clear out “slop” games—what they’re often called—seems to have begun in the previous year.
“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all PlayStation players who have supported us during this journey,” Afil stated. “Your enthusiasm and trust have significantly contributed to our growth. We remain dedicated to delivering new experiences to our players through Xbox One, Xbox Series, Microsoft Store, and Nintendo Switch.”
We have contacted Sony Interactive Entertainment for comments and will provide updates on this story if we receive a response.