{"id":103167,"date":"2025-07-29T22:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T22:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/103167\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T22:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T22:14:14","slug":"the-chaos-and-confusion-of-itch-io-and-steams-abrupt-adult-game-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/103167\/","title":{"rendered":"The chaos and confusion of itch.io and Steam\u2019s abrupt adult game ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two of the biggest digital games stores have stopped selling thousands of titles following pressure from a coalition of anti-porn advocates and the world\u2019s biggest payment processing companies. It\u2019s happened before, will likely happen again, and is suppressing art, free expression, and marginalized creators.<\/p>\n

Last week, the indie gaming storefront itch.io<\/a> sent out a sudden notice<\/a> to the creators that use the site to sell their games, books, art, and other media; it had \u201cdeindexed\u201d all content with the NSFW (not safe for work) tag, meaning works with that tag would no longer turn up in itch.io searches, effectively making it impossible to discover or purchase them. Last week, Steam did similarly, removing a swath of games from its platform<\/a> after implementing stricter policies related to adult content.<\/p>\n

In its announcement, itch.io founder Leaf Corcoran explained that the reason for this drastic action was pressure applied to the company\u2019s payment processors by Collective Shout \u2014 an Australian nonprofit organization that describes itself as \u201ca grassroots campaigns movement against the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io<\/a>, directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms,\u201d Corcoran said. Released in March before being delisted by both Steam and itch.io in April, No Mercy was described by Collective Shout as a \u201crape simulator.\u201d Its developer, Zerat Games, denied this, describing it as a \u201c3D choice-driven adult visual novel with a huge focus on blackmail and male domination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

Consume Me, a game that explores themes of eating disorders and body image, was one of the games caught up in itch.io\u2019s deindexing event. Image: Jenny Jiao Hsia<\/p>\n

As a result of Collective Shout\u2019s actions, in tandem with the payment processors, over 20,000 games, books, comics, and other creative works \u2014 confirmed via the Internet Archive \u2014 functionally ceased to exist on the site (though purchased content remains in users\u2019 libraries so long as it doesn\u2019t violate itch.io\u2019s new guidelines), imperiling the creators who depend on sales from itch.io. In addition to NSFW content, notable projects that didn\u2019t have the tag were caught up in the purge as well. One example is Consume Me, a game about disordered eating and the recent recipient of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2025 Independent Games Festival<\/a>, which was delisted.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also concern that this deindexing event will have a disproportionate impact on queer creators, and in the immediate aftermath there has been confusion about the distinction between \u201cNSFW\u201d and \u201cadult\u201d content, with a lot of LGBTQ+ stories and games falling under the umbrella of the former. \u201cMy SFW sci-fi comic that\u2019s no worse than a standard Marvel movie also got deindexed… but it had the LGBT tag,\u201d wrote Yuki Clarke, a comic artist<\/a>, on Bluesky.<\/p>\n

Whenever a platform announces a blanket ban on adult content, LGBTQ+ creators are almost always disproportionately affected, harming queer artists and invariably queer people<\/a>. In 2021, eBay\u2019s removal of its \u201cAdult Only\u201d section eliminated a popular storefront for LGBTQ+ erotica artists and collectors<\/a>. In 2022, Tumblr settled with the New York City Commission on Human Rights because its 2018 ban of \u201cadult content\u201d<\/a> had a discriminatory impact on queer creators<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Several itch.io creators have said that their SFW content with the LGBT tag have been deindexed. Itch.io has responded to some of these claims on social media<\/a>, saying, \u201cThe deindexing was determined by how creators classified their pages: specifically if the page was tagged as NSFW and as having adult content.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, there have also been reports that content with the LGBT tag but not the NSFW or Adult tags were still getting delisted<\/a>, creating confusion about just what kind of works itch.io was pulling from its store and why. The Verge has reached out to itch.io for clarification. On Bluesky, in response to a creator claiming their LGBT books were delisted despite not having any adult or NSFW tags, the itch.io account answered<\/a>, \u201cWe have a series of automated heuristics that can flag pages for review based on account behavior to help prevent abuse.\u201d It further explained that the LGBT or queer tags wouldn\u2019t affect that system.<\/p>\n

Itch.io acknowledged that the blanket delisting of all its adult content wasn\u2019t ideal and has created concern among its users. But the threat of losing its payment processors required emergency action. \u201cThe situation developed rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform\u2019s core payment infrastructure,\u201d Corcoran wrote. Typically, payment processors take actions like this to ensure their products aren\u2019t being used to purchase illegal content. In Steam\u2019s case, it updated its guidelines<\/a> to include a rule that prohibits publishing material that \u201cmay violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam\u2019s payment processors.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an email, Casey Becker, spokesperson for Stripe, responded that it does not comment on users directly but, \u201cgenerally speaking, we take action when we conclude that users violate our terms of service. We do not support adult content.\u201d Payoneer, one of itch.io\u2019s other payment processors, declined to comment. The Verge has also reached out to PayPal, the last of itch.io\u2019s listed payment processors, for comment.<\/p>\n

Payment processors have frequently been the reason behind content bans. Though Collective Shout was the inciting agent, it\u2019s companies like Visa, Stripe, and others that are responsible for these kinds of acts of mass censorship. In 2014, PayPal threatened to remove all its services from Patreon<\/a> because the site hosted adult content creators. (PayPal would reverse this decision two years later<\/a>, but Patreon still makes it difficult for sex workers and porn creators to do business on the website.) In 2021, OnlyFans, a website synonymous with porn, announced that it would ban all sexually explicit content<\/a> to \u201ccomply with the requests of [the platform\u2019s] banking partners and payout provider.\u201d Six days later, OnlyFans would reverse the decision<\/a>, citing assurances from its banking partners. Scratch a porn ban, and you\u2019ll find a PayPal.<\/p>\n

These processors have enormous power over their clients, and that influence can be used to achieve goals that have nothing to do with consumer choice or safety. Itch.io is forced to comply with their demands or risk being unable to function entirely. \u201cTo ensure that we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate steps towards compliance,\u201d Corcoran wrote in itch.io\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

Itch.io says that it is in the process of reviewing and removing NSFW and adult-tagged content that violates its terms of service, while also updating those terms. \u201cFor NSFW pages, this will include a new step where creators must confirm that their content is allowable under the policies of the respective payment processors linked to their account,\u201d the announcement read. It has also updated its July 24th announcement<\/a> to include answers to commonly asked questions that had been circulating social media, debunking rumors surrounding whether itch.io was withholding payments and addressing why such drastic action had to be taken so disruptively. The company also says it\u2019s working on finding new payment processors.<\/p>\n

Players and itch.io users are fighting back, flooding Visa and Mastercard customer service lines with complaints. A database has been created<\/a> where creators can list their deindexed work<\/a> for people to browse and purchase on alternative sites. Some creators are also removing their work from itch.io<\/a> and are threatening to leave it altogether, as itch.io\u2019s updated NSFW policy makes bans permanent and irreversible while explicitly threatening subversive art.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur policy is not an invitation to push the boundaries of what is acceptable. Violations that result in administrative action are permanent with no chance of appeal,\u201d the creator FAQ reads<\/a>. \u201cAny funds on the account will not be eligible for payout. There is no second chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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