The PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop are experiencing an influx of low-quality games, often described as "slop," raising concerns among users. These games, frequently simulation titles, utilize generative AI for misleading marketing materials and often bear striking resemblance to popular titles, sometimes even employing similar names. This issue, initially more prominent on the eShop, has recently spread to the PlayStation Store, particularly impacting the "Games to Wishlist" section.

The problem extends beyond simply "bad" games; it's the sheer volume of nearly identical, low-effort titles overwhelming legitimate releases. These games often feature poor controls, technical glitches, and limited gameplay, contrasting sharply with their polished, AI-generated marketing materials. A small number of companies appear responsible for this surge, making them difficult to identify and hold accountable due to a lack of readily available public information.

User complaints have increased, particularly concerning the eShop's deteriorating performance due to the sheer number of games. This article investigates the causes of this phenomenon, comparing the experiences across various storefronts.

The Certification Process

Interviews with eight game developers and publishers (all requesting anonymity) revealed insights into the game release process across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. The process generally involves initial platform approval, followed by form completion detailing game specifications and undergoing certification ("cert"). Cert verifies technical compliance, legal adherence, and ESRB rating accuracy. While Steam and Xbox publicly share their requirements, Nintendo and Sony do not.

A common misconception is that cert acts as a quality assurance check. However, it primarily focuses on technical compliance, not gameplay quality. Developers are responsible for pre-submission QA. Rejection often provides limited feedback, with Nintendo cited as particularly opaque in its rejection reasons.

Store Page Review

Platform holders require accurate game representations in store page screenshots. However, enforcement varies. While Nintendo and Xbox review all page changes, PlayStation conducts a single pre-launch check, and Valve performs an initial review only. Diligence in verifying the accuracy of game descriptions also varies significantly, with a "forgiveness rather than permission" approach often employed.

Consequences for inaccurate screenshots typically involve removal requests, though delisting or developer removal is possible in severe cases. None of the console storefronts have specific rules regarding generative AI use in games or marketing materials, although Steam requests disclosure.

Why the Discrepancy?

The disparity in "slop" across platforms stems from differences in their approval processes. Microsoft vets games individually, while Nintendo, Sony, and Valve vet developers. This allows developers already approved by Nintendo and Sony to easily release multiple games, contributing to the influx of low-quality titles. Xbox's game-by-game approach mitigates this issue. One publisher described Xbox's process as more rigorous and hands-on, involving direct collaboration with their ID team.

Nintendo's approval process is seen as particularly susceptible to exploitation, allowing the release of numerous low-effort games. Some developers exploit the maximum discount duration (28 days) on the Nintendo eShop, releasing new bundles immediately after previous ones expire, maintaining a prominent position in "New Releases" and "Discounts." Similar issues occur on PlayStation due to the "Games to Wishlist" tab's sorting by release date, prioritizing games with distant release windows.

While generative AI is a factor, it's not the primary cause. The games themselves are still developed by humans. The issue is compounded by discoverability problems. Xbox's curated store pages minimize user exposure to low-quality titles, while PlayStation's sorting method exacerbates the problem. Steam, despite its own discoverability challenges, mitigates the impact through its constantly updating new releases section. Nintendo's approach of presenting all new releases unsorted contributes significantly to the problem.

The Path Forward

Users have urged Nintendo and Sony to address this issue, but neither company responded to requests for comment. While some developers are pessimistic about significant improvements, others point to past actions by Sony, such as a 2021 crackdown on similar "spam" content. However, overly aggressive filtering, as demonstrated by the "Better eshop" project, risks harming legitimate games. Concerns exist that stricter regulations might inadvertently target quality software. The challenge lies in balancing the need to prevent low-quality releases with the avoidance of unfairly penalizing legitimate developers. The human element in the review process also plays a role, highlighting the difficulty of reliably distinguishing between various levels of game quality.