Itch.io Follows Steam in Purging Adult Games to Preserve Payment Access
- Itch.io deindexed adult games from search and browse after activist and payment processor pressure.
- The move follows similar bans by Steam, Gumroad, and OnlyFans, citing payment infrastructure risks.
- Developers and users have criticised the decision and the growing influence of payment companies on digital content.
Indie game marketplace Itch.io has become the latest platform to restrict adult content, announcing this week that it has deindexed not-safe-for-work (NSFW) games from its browse and search pages.
The company’s move comes in the wake of an activist campaign by Collective Shout, which called on major payment processors to cut ties with platforms hosting graphic sexual content like the game “No Mercy”, — a title depicting themes of rape and incest.
Collective Shout published an open letter urging PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard to act against game marketplaces profiting from what it described as “violent and unethical games.”
Shortly after, Steam instituted its own ban on titles violating payment processor rules, and now Itch.io, citing the need to “protect the platform’s core payment infrastructure,” has followed suit.
In an official update, Itch.io stated that NSFW games would remain deindexed until it completes a comprehensive audit to ensure compliance with payment processor requirements.
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Creators will soon be required to confirm that their content is permitted by the payment services linked to their accounts.
The decision has sparked backlash on social media, with developers criticising policies that threaten to withhold all earnings from accounts found in violation, and some condemning what they see as financial censorship dictated by banks.
This episode follows similar controversies involving Gumroad and OnlyFans, both of which cited pressure from banking partners in their crackdowns on adult content.
Edited by Annette George
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