Sony has taken the drastic step of abruptly deleting roughly 1,200 games listed on the PlayStation Store. In most cases, when a platform holder mass-removes titles from its storefront, it tends to spark controversy over “censorship” or “regulation,” and invites user backlash. This time, however, gamers are responding unusually—pouring out cheers and support for Sony’s decision—drawing attention to what’s behind the reaction.

According to major overseas game media outlets, it has recently been confirmed that games published on the PS Store by the publisher ThiGames were removed in a sweeping, across-the-board action. ThiGames has a notorious reputation for specializing in the distribution of low-quality, mass-produced titles commonly referred to as “shovelware.” Rather than emphasizing artistry or fun, these games have marketed themselves on the premise that players can obtain the top-tier Platinum Trophy with just a few button presses—effectively enticing trophy collectors into buying them. Sony has not disclosed specific reasons for the removals, but the industry is interpreting the move as a preemptive cleanup effort in response to the flood of shovelware spreading across platforms in general, including Steam and the Nintendo eShop.

Paradoxically, the spread of this shovelware is closely tied to advances in game technology. As game engines have become more widely accessible, the barrier to development has dropped—and the situation has worsened with the rapid progress of generative AI in recent years. What used to be simple outputs at the level of old Flash games can now be mass-produced in short order with AI handling everything from coding to graphics and sound. In the end, that has led to an explosion of assembly-line games that muddy the waters of digital storefronts.

Of course, this one action hasn’t made all shovelware disappear. Games that borrow from Italy’s “Italian brainrot” meme—such as Tralalero Tralala, Tung Tung Tung Sahur, and Bombardiro Crocodilo—are still openly holding their ground on the store. Even so, gamers are overwhelmingly welcoming this mass deletion with open arms. That’s because fatigue among users has reached a breaking point as the store’s quality has visibly deteriorated—so much so that the official PlayStation YouTube channel recently featured undercooked titles like Ebola Village.

As of now, neither Sony nor ThiGames has issued an official statement on the situation. Attention is now on what comes next: whether this deletion of roughly 1,200 games will remain a one-off incident, or whether it will become the opening signal for broader, more systematic quality control across the PS Store.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.