Shovelware Studio Forced Off The PlayStation Store

PlayStation has severed ties with Brazilian developer Afil Games, a studio notorious for producing low‑effort, shovelware titles that are easy to rack up trophies. According to VGC, the company announced on X that PlayStation will no longer support future releases from Afil, and that all of its games will soon be pulled from the PSN Store.

Shovelware has long plagued the digital marketplace. The most egregious examples mimic popular releases to deceive unsuspecting buyers, while others—like those from Afil—are loaded with trivial trophies that lure trophy‑hunters eager to pad their collections.

Steam has been a breeding ground for such practices, and other platforms only recently began to take action. Nintendo’s eShop revamped its storefront to curb shovelware that leverages steep discounts to climb bestseller charts, and Sony has also tightened its policies. Consequently, Afil’s catalog of more than 140 titles will disappear from PlayStation’s digital storefront.

While many gamers may react with muted disappointment, the question remains: is this a net positive? If a game is not a deceptive copy, is not built with generative AI, and delivers on its marketing promises, why should trophy‑hunters be denied a cheap, legitimate experience? A review of Afil’s extensive library shows no obvious violations, suggesting that producing a low‑effort, profitable title within acceptable guidelines can still be a viable business model—though the industry’s stricter stance may alter that calculus.