Sony Is Pulling an Indie Studio's Entire Catalog From the PlayStation Store — and Won't Say Why
Sony is preparing to remove every game from Ukrainian indie developer Ternox Games from the PlayStation Store after August 23, after unilaterally terminating the studio's developer and publisher agreement without providing a reason. The studio announced the news on X on August 16, saying Sony gave no explanation for the contract termination and that PlayStation Support has refused to respond to emails or hear their case. GameSpot
The removal covers 13 titles, some of which Ternox published on behalf of other developers. The affected games include Nexoria: Dungeon Rogue Heroes, Finger Fitness, Retro Highway, Unichrome: A 1-Bit Unicorn Adventure, O-VOID: Console Edition, Run & Jump Guy, and Scrap Divers, among others. Ternox urged players who want any of these games to buy them from the PS Store before they disappear. X/@Taimumari
The termination also kills Ternox's plans for PlayStation 5. The studio's flagship title, STONKS-9800 — a text-based stock market simulator set in 1980s Japan — will no longer launch on PS5. Ternox had hoped to release the PS5 version in 2027 and produce a physical disc edition. Neither will happen now. The developer can no longer self-publish on PlayStation at all.
STONKS-9800 has been in Steam Early Access since July 2023 and carries an "overwhelmingly positive" rating on the platform — the highest tier of user review sentiment Valve assigns. The game's official site describes it as putting players in the shoes of an 80s Japanese stock market businessman. Ternox now plans to create a physical edition of the game for PC and Nintendo Switch instead of PlayStation.
Ternox Games is a small indie developer and micro-publisher from Ukraine that builds its games in GameMaker, a popular engine for 2D projects. The studio also developed Taimumari, a retro-style platformer, and has served as a publisher for other small developers looking to get their games onto console storefronts. Losing its PlayStation partnership means losing access to one of the three major console platforms — a significant channel for any independent studio, and especially for one operating as a publisher for others.
For PlayStation players who already own any of the affected titles, removal from the store typically means the games can no longer be purchased by new buyers, but existing owners can usually still re-download their copies. Ternox has not said whether any of the removed games will migrate to other platforms.
Sony has not publicly commented on the termination. The company's developer agreements, like those of other platform holders, give it broad discretion to end partnerships, though the absence of a stated reason has left Ternox — and its players — without an explanation.
