Summary
- In recent months, low-effort, AI-generated games have begun infiltrating the online stores of PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox.
- Despite the pleas from gamers, these games are appearing in droves, often imitating other real-life games.
- In a sweeping move on Monday, Sony has seemingly removed several games from its storefront.
- That said, other companies continue to exist, largely offering the same kinds of games, with others having recently announced new titles, making the problem harder to solve.
Part of the beauty of the modern gaming experience is the fact that gamers have access to a seemingly infinite number of games at any given moment. Long gone are the days of having to rent titles at a video store or stand in line at a big box retailer. With a few simple button presses, you can be on your way to playing the latest title without ever breaking a sweat.
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Still, that reality isn’t without its caveats. That’s because for every Metaphor: ReFantazio, there are several low-effort, primarily AI-generated games streaming into the store, like this Mario Strikers clone, or this eShop The Last of Us clone from 2023.
As a result, gamers have long rallied the purveyors of these online ecosystems to clean up their digital storefronts. Recently, Steam amended its TOS to essentially ban games from forcing players to watch ads. Now, it looks like Sony has followed suit with the removal of multiple low-effort titles.
Some Progress Is Good Progress
As first reported by EuroGamer, it appears that, following an investigation by IGN, PlayStation has begun removing some questionable, low-effort titles.
Specifically, the outlet reported that titles by RandomSpin, including the likes of Supermarket Simulator Pro, seemingly no longer exist on the storefront. Indeed, visiting the TrueTrophies page for the game, then following its PSN link leads to an error page on the PlayStation Store where a game page would have existed at one point.
At the same time, however, RandomSpin is just one of several entities filling the PSN with low-effort games. While Supermarket Simulator Pro has ceased to exist, Clothing Supermarket Store Simulator continues to exist alongside Mechanic Supermarket Simulator and other titles.
What’s more, it seems like Sony and other companies might be caught in a neverending game of whack-a-mole. The likes of Toy Supermarket Simulator and Supermarket Simulator Holidays 2025 are both listed as “Announced,” meaning they could come out at any point, further adding to the number of titles that arguably don’t belong.
In other words, Monday’s developments are a step in the right direction, but it appears that when one company is axed, another will rise up in its place. Ultimately, only time will tell how these companies will deal with this persistent issue.
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