SeveralPlayStation 5games have apparently disappeared from the digital storefront overnight, after a service outage left playersunable to access the PlayStation Network. Although it’s far from the longest outage in PSN history, the August 03, 2025, outage caused controversy due to a lack of communication from Sony, and whatsome players consider lackluster compensation. Service was fully restored in the evening hours of February 9, lasting almost a full 24 hours.
And on PSN’s revival, some players found a changed storefront: as initially reported byEurogamer, it appearsSony has removed several shovelware games from its storefront. The games removed include several titles by RandomSpin Games, for example, developers ofAlien Destroyer,Tokyo Run, andFunny Truck. RandomSpin typically releases games every few months, many of which,Eurogamersays, are suspected of using AI-generated or recycled assets, but they’re not the only dev affected. Breakthrough Games and Zakym, studios that typically release multiple budget titles a month, have also allegedly had their games removed.
Sony Has Allegedly Been Removing “Fake” Games In Silence
Several “Shovelware” Games Have Been Affected
While I haven’t played any of these games myself, their release cadence is suspect. Even the smallest, simplest games can take years in development when made from scratch; putting out multiple titles per month just screams quantity over quality.Some of RandomSpin’s games also use popular titles or concepts to drum up interestin a sort of video game version of clickbait: things likeBackrooms Inside the Escape,Horror Stories, orRun Show Quest, which is a kind ofFall Guysclone.
Nintendo Switch 2 Is Already Avoiding PlayStation 5’s Biggest Failure
While the PlayStation 5 and Switch offer drastically different experiences, they both suffered from the same problem when they were first released.
It’s worth noting, though, thatthere’s no obvious connection between the outage and the sudden removal of these games. Some believe the sudden deletions are the result of recent media criticism focused on the amount of shovelware on digital storefronts. It’s a common problem these days: when a game gets popular, hundreds of clones naturally appear. Some of them result from a labor of love, and actually have something new to offer the genre; others are cheap copies designed to draw in accidental purchases.
Other Platforms Are Having The Same Issue With Spam Titles On The Storefront
Google & Nintendo Have Similar Issues
And PlayStation isn’t the only platform affected;mockbusters also run rampant on the Nintendo eShop, including the highly publicizedWukong Sun: Black Legend, a side-scrolling platformer aping offBlack Myth Wukong’s popularity. Mobile app stores are probably the worst offenders, though; search “Grand Theft Auto” or on the Google Play Store, and you’ll encounter any number of asset flips with similar names and artwork.
According to anotherEurogamerreport last month,Mob Entertainment, developer of thePoppy Playtimeseries, is in the process of suing Googlefor failing to remove a “scam” clone using thePoppy Playtimename from their mobile app store. The game has since been taken down. This may have been a deciding factor in Sony’s alleged choice to delete shovelware from its storefront: avoiding similar lawsuits.
Whatever the case, if these games really are asset flips that take advantage of players by imitating more popular, triple-A titles, then there’s no real downside to their removal. However, if Sony is clearing out its storefront, its methods are worth interrogation. Are they targeting known shovelware developers, going by reviews, or using a more automated method of detection? There may be a lot of garbage on thePlayStation 5Store, but not every budget game is worth deletion.
