Updated
Updated · Video Games Chronicle · Jun 24
Sony Blocks Afil Games, Pulls 140-Plus PlayStation Titles Over Stricter Store Rules
Updated
Updated · Video Games Chronicle · Jun 24

Sony Blocks Afil Games, Pulls 140-Plus PlayStation Titles Over Stricter Store Rules

3 articles · Updated · Video Games Chronicle · Jun 24

Summary

  • Afil Games said Sony has barred it from releasing any new PS4 or PS5 games and will remove its existing catalog from the PlayStation Store.
  • More than 140 titles are affected after PlayStation tightened publishing guidelines this year, rules the Brazilian studio said are incompatible with its business model.
  • Afil became known for cheap, low-effort games such as Piggy’s Farm and The Cute Whale that critics said were bought mainly for easy PlayStation Trophy and Platinum unlocks.
  • The move extends Sony’s broader crackdown on so-called shovelware, while Afil said it will keep releasing games on Xbox, the Microsoft Store and Nintendo Switch.

Insights

As Sony purges hundreds of 'shovelware' games, are legitimate indie developers at risk of being delisted too?
Can Sony’s mass deletion of games fix its storefront, or will new low-effort titles simply replace the old ones?
Is Sony's war on easy trophies about quality control or an attack on the trophy-hunting gamer community?