Google owns Play Store. Microsoft owns Microsoft/Xbox store. It's pretty obvious why they don't want to advertise sites where their content can be downloaded for free.
I heard a joke from one Android game developer - "People don't look for apps on Google Play Store - they look for apps on Google.com"
That's good. At least experienced people can find these sites, just as before Google came into existence. Better be underground and pirate, as that's what the powers-that-be wanted.
As the article states wrt Google, there’s nothing “mysterious” behind such disappearances, it’s just unacknowledged bans/removals from the listings.
Does anyone know of a halfway decent _truly_ uncensored search engine? One that’s free from “morality” censorship at a minimum and ideally also resistant to DMCAs, etc…