Sony's Purge on PS5 Shovelware May Now Have Hit a Legit Indie Dev

Ukrainian developer Ternox Games has announced that Sony has unilaterally terminated its PlayStation developer and publisher agreement. According to the studio, the decision was made without providing any reason, resulting in the cancellation of an upcoming PlayStation 5 port for its popular stock market simulation game, Stonks-9800, alongside the planned removal of its entire existing catalog from the PlayStation Store.

Stonks-9800, an anime-influenced, text-based indie game where players act as a Japanese salaryman navigating the stock market, holds a 97 percent 'Overwhelmingly Positive' review rating across more than 1,380 user reviews on Steam. The title was slated to arrive on PS5, with a physical disc version previously planned for 2027. Following the cancellation of the PlayStation release, Ternox has stated it will focus its efforts on bringing physical releases to PC and Nintendo Switch, while noting it remains committed to bringing the game to Xbox and Switch as well.

In addition to halting the upcoming port, Ternox reported that its existing library of 13 earlier releases on the PlayStation Store—which includes a mix of in-house titles and games from outside developers such as Nexoria: Dungeon Rogue Heroes, Retro Highway, Unichrome: A 1-Bit Unicorn Adventure, Fox’s Zen House, and Finger Fitness—are scheduled to be removed from the virtual storefront following August 23. The developer stated that PlayStation Support has refused to respond to emails or provide arguments regarding the abrupt action.

Industry observers note that the developer's removal arrives amid broader efforts by Sony to rid the PlayStation Store of low-effort shovelware and entire publisher catalogues of copy-and-paste titles. While titles like Finger Fitness have drawn comparisons to easy-trophy titles, Ternox maintained that its games incorporated unique hardware features, such as advanced haptic feedback and customized vibration utilizing the DualSense controller. Despite the sudden account termination and upcoming store delistings, the developer has received no direct explanation from the platform holder regarding the sudden purge.