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Over the weekend we became vaguely aware of a change that had taken place in our PS5 user interface. Supposedly added in the recent firmware update, it lay dormant waiting for the perfect moment to strike, much like a horrible trapdoor spider. While previously the information under each game tile was usually sparse about updates or expansions, we were suddenly inundated with advertisements, with our glorious Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 wallpaper replaced by the above YouTube thumbnail-like monstrosity.
Although we got off to a bit of a slow start, it seems we weren’t the only ones to notice this change. It seems that Sony is now okay with publishers hawking their wares for all to see; no longer relegated to the decency of the PS Store tab. On X, user Alfredobaba has made a selection of the advertisements you can expect:
MP1st points out that these additions are not only an eyesore, but can also be confusing. Some games offer news updates instead, even if you opt out of ads. In one of the outlet’s examples, hovering over Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition on PS4 brings up a full-page pre-order ad for LEGO Horizon Adventures on PS5, which seems cluttered. We haven’t dug through all the settings for ourselves, but it seems like the only way to restore the original game card backgrounds is to completely disconnect your console from the internet.
