PS5 Shovelware Dev Confirms ‘Stricter’ Publishing Guidelines from Sony
Sony is cracking down on low-effort games flooding the PlayStation Store through new, stricter publishing guidelines. Brazil-based developer Afil Games has publicly confirmed the policy shift, revealing that the company’s future releases will no longer be approved for PS5, while all of its existing titles will be removed from Sony’s storefront.
Afil Games, known for publishing minimal-effort titles like Collie Call and Cute Bonfire, became one of the first developers to publicly acknowledge Sony’s enforcement of these enhanced quality standards. The removal represents part of a larger initiative by Sony to combat shovelware on its digital storefront.
This marks an escalation in Sony’s ongoing battle against low-quality games clogging the PS Store. The platform holder has already removed tens of thousands of titles from its storefront throughout 2026, signaling a commitment to maintaining store quality and user experience. The stricter guidelines appear designed to prevent future flooding of the platform with low-effort software while clearing out existing problematic releases.