Sony Interactive Entertainment has terminated the PlayStation developer and publisher agreement of indie studio Ternox Games without providing any reason. Fourteen of the studio's titles are set to disappear from the PlayStation Store on August 23, 2026, and a planned PS5 version of its acclaimed STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator — which holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam — has been permanently cancelled.
- ▶Sources: Ternox Games official X announcement, August 16, 2026 · Kotaku — Sony Terminates Stonks-9800 Dev's Publisher Agreement Without Warning
At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Developer | Ternox Games (TERNOX, Ukraine) |
| Action taken | PlayStation publisher/developer agreement unilaterally terminated |
| Announced | August 16, 2026 |
| Removal date | August 23, 2026 |
| Titles affected | 14 previously published PSN titles |
| PS5 release cancelled | STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator |
| Sony statement | None |
| Developer's next step | Exploring physical editions for PC and Nintendo Switch |
The official TERNOX GAMES launch trailer for STONKS-9800, confirmed from the developer's YouTube channel (June 2023). The planned PS5 version will no longer happen.
Event Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 17, 2023 | STONKS-9800 launches on Steam Early Access |
| March 2026 | Sony removes 1,000+ titles from PSN as part of its ongoing anti-shovelware campaign |
| August 16, 2026 | Ternox Games publicly announces termination of its PlayStation agreement on X |
| August 17, 2026 | Story breaks widely via Kotaku and other outlets; community backlash grows |
| August 23, 2026 | 14 Ternox Games PSN titles scheduled for removal |
| 2027 (cancelled) | STONKS-9800 PS5 release had been planned for this window |
What Happened
Developer Taimumari of Ternox Games posted on X on August 16, revealing Sony had ended their agreement with no warning and no rationale:
“"Sony@PlayStation unilaterally terminated my PlayStation developer and publisher agreement without giving me any reason. My existing games are scheduled to be removed from the PlayStation Store after August 23."
Support channels offered no resolution. As Taimumari described in a follow-up:
“"PlayStation Support refuses to listen to my arguments or even respond to my emails in any way. This means I will no longer be able to self-publish my games on PlayStation."
The termination also kills off what had been Ternox Games' flagship platform goal:
“"I had hoped to release the PS5 version in 2027 and make a physical disc edition while that was still possible. Sadly, that will not happen—but I'll do my best to create a physical edition for PC and Switch."
Each Party's Position
Ternox Games
Characterizes Sony's action as unilateral and unexplained, with no due process or avenue for appeal. The developer has been publicly transparent throughout, sharing screenshots of the termination notice. PlayStation platform ambitions — including STONKS-9800 for PS5 and a physical disc edition — are now shelved. The studio plans to redirect efforts toward PC and Switch distribution.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Has issued no public comment or explanation as of August 18, 2026.
About Ternox Games and STONKS-9800
TERNOX is a small Ukrainian indie studio operated by a solo developer. Its most prominent title, STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator, is a text-based economic simulation set during Japan's 1980s bubble economy. It launched on Steam Early Access on July 17, 2023 and has grown a dedicated playerbase since.
STONKS-9800 on Steam (as of August 2026):
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | Overwhelmingly Positive — 97% of 1,376 English reviews |
| Recent rating | Very Positive — 94% of 74 recent reviews |
| Price | $9.99 USD |
| Language support | 7 languages including English, Korean, Japanese, Ukrainian, Simplified Chinese |
| Steam App ID | 1539140 |
| Release date | July 17, 2023 (Early Access) |
The portfolio that was on PSN is broader and more mixed in quality — titles like Finger Fitness sit alongside more substantive releases like Taimumari: Complete Edition. Kotaku noted the studio's output "most certainly is not a shovelware publisher — well, not exclusively, at least," and that quality has improved considerably in recent years, culminating in STONKS-9800.
Context: Sony's Anti-Shovelware Campaign
Sony has spent the past two years thinning the PlayStation Store's long tail. The most dramatic moment came in March 2026, when it pulled more than 1,000 titles in a single sweep. The campaign is widely seen as an attempt to improve storefront quality, but it has lacked transparency: developers typically receive no explanation, no scoring criteria, and no appeals path.
The leading theory for Ternox Games' termination — offered by Kotaku — is an automated flagging system that may have targeted one or two weaker titles in the catalog and triggered a blanket publisher ban. Sony has not confirmed or denied this.
This is the most visible collision yet between Sony's quality campaign and a developer who has a genuinely well-received title. If the termination was automated, it raises a structural question: how does a platform that removes 1,000 titles at a time distinguish a studio with one low-effort release from one that used early catalog entries as stepping stones to something more substantial?
Community Reaction
The news spread quickly across Reddit, X, and gaming forums. Reactions converged on three concerns:
- 1No due process — Sony gave no reason, no warning, and no channel for appeal. Even after repeated contact, PlayStation Support did not respond.
- 2Collateral damage to quality work — STONKS-9800 is not a marginal title. A 97% positive rating on Steam, multilingual support, and a growing community mark it as the kind of game a platform should want to attract, not expel.
- 3Chilling effect on indie development — If a publisher agreement can be terminated silently and without recourse, the risk calculus for any small studio considering PlayStation changes significantly.
The story also drew attention in Japan, where STONKS-9800's 1980s setting has cultural resonance, and in Korea, where the game's Korean-language support had built a small but loyal audience hoping for a PS5 release.
GamePeak Take
Sony's anti-shovelware effort serves a legitimate purpose, but the blunt execution — mass removals, no explanation, no appeals, no response to developer inquiries — has now caught a studio with a strong recent track record. Whether the decision gets reviewed depends entirely on whether Sony chooses to respond publicly. Ternox Games will continue releasing on Steam and Switch, and a physical edition for those platforms is being explored. We will update this article if Sony issues a statement or reverses course before the August 23 removal deadline.