PlayStation 'Shovelware' Crackdown Continues as Major Publisher Warns Its Games Will Soon Be Pulled

It looks similar Sony is continuing its ngo to wide the PlayStation Store of 'shovelware' games aft steadfast Webnetic announced its "journey connected PlayStation" volition soon "come to an end."

Sony has been moving connected uncluttering its integer storefront implicit the past fewer months. Most of its clip has been spent targeting shovelware, a word utilized to notation to cheaply produced and exploitative games that person been known to flood store pages with experiences often labeled arsenic knockoffs and low-effort.

Sony removed hundreds of PlayStation Store games from steadfast ThiGames successful January and past turned its sights to GoGame Console Publisher, VRCForge Studios, and Welding Byte successful April. Now, it looks similar Webnetic is adjacent connected the chopping block.

Webnetic Announces Removal from PlayStation Store. Screenshot captured by IGN.

The steadfast – which is liable for aggregate versions of August 2022's The Golden Age and aggregate versions of its September 2022 follow-up The Copper Age – took to its X/Twitter relationship to denote a caller absorption for its expansive catalog today. It says "these are our last days connected PlayStation," ushering players to cheque retired its games "before they're gone."

"As our travel connected PlayStation comes to an end, we privation to convey everyone who played our games, supported our releases, and joined america on the way," Webnetic said.

A speedy look connected the PlayStation Store shows that Webnetic is liable for 128 individually named video games, including some PS4 and PS5 versions of immoderate of the aforesaid titles and their many, galore sequels. Trophy-tracker websites similar TrueTrophies enactment that Webnetic is besides listed arsenic the steadfast of versions of games for antithetic territories.

Its 2025 game, A House That Glows, for example, shows arsenic having 8 antithetic crippled options disposable for players to acquisition and workplace trophies through. Webnetic has galore akin examples passim its catalog, boosting its reported full fig of PlayStation games to a breathtaking 1,274 titles. TrueTrophies names it arsenic the steadfast with the 4th astir games connected the integer store.

Webnetic signed disconnected its goodbye connection to PlayStation fans by saying that "this isn't the extremity for us." Those looking to support up with its enactment were encouraged to caput to Xbox, Nintendo, and Steam, wherever it volition proceed publishing "more breathtaking projects," including updates for Panic House: Awakening.

It's unclear erstwhile precisely Webnetic volition person its games removed from the PlayStation Store. In the meantime, you tin work IGN's heavy dive into the satellite of "Eslop" online.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).