Sony Widens PS Store Shovelware Purge With More Publisher Catalog Delistings

Sony is widening its PS Store cleanup

Push Square reported on March 21, 2026 that Sony removed hundreds more titles from the PS Store, expanding the earlier January sweep that targeted ThiGames. This time the report says two more publishers were hit, with entire catalogues disappearing overnight as Sony continues its crackdown on low-effort shovelware.

The bigger of the two examples is Nostra Games. According to Push Square, the Cyprus-based studio had published nearly 700 games on Sony's storefront, many of them simulation-style releases. The article notes that one of its recent games, Ghostly Whiskers, had already drawn attention after being accused of using AI-generated work too close to Haunted Paws.

Publishers say they were not given a clear reason

Push Square says a Nostra spokesperson posted on Discord that the studio was not told the exact reason for the removals and plans to keep releasing on Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Steam. A second company, CGI Lab, was also delisted. The outlet says CGI Lab had a smaller line-up, but its horror releases such as Platform Zero and Veins of Darkness were still the kind of low-effort output Sony no longer seems comfortable hosting.

That detail matters because it suggests this is no longer a one-off reaction to a single bad actor. Sony appears to be making a policy-level decision about store quality, asset originality, and trophy-farm style publishing. Push Square argues that the platform holder is finally taking the shovelware problem more seriously, even if the removals happen after the games have already reached customers.

The bigger platform problem

There is an obvious tension here. Cleaning the store improves trust, search quality, and the visibility of legitimate games. But the report also asks why these titles were allowed through certification in the first place. Delisting after the fact is a stronger signal than doing nothing, yet it still means players spent months or years navigating a storefront crowded with copycat-looking releases, AI-generated art, and easy Platinum bait.

Signal from r/Games

The linked r/Games post reached 336 points and 64 comments at crawl time. That is a meaningful response for a storefront-governance story, and it underlines how tired players are of watching platform discovery get buried under low-quality releases.

Why this matters

This story is bigger than the fate of a few publishers. If Sony keeps tightening the PS Store, other platform holders may face pressure to show similar standards around shovelware, AI knock-offs, and trophy-farm tactics. The open question is whether this becomes a durable curation policy or just another temporary cleanup wave.

Source: Push Square · Reddit discussion