Indie gaming platform Itch faces removal of numerous adult-themed games as credit card companies, influenced by an anti-porn group, pressure the platform in threat of financial collapse on behalf of Valve and Steam.
In a swift move aimed at maintaining its critical payment infrastructure, online gaming platform Itch.io has decided to deindex all Not Safe For Work (NSFW) games from its browse and search pages. This action comes in response to pressure from payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard, who were themselves pressured by an Australian anti-porn lobby group called Collective Shout.
Collective Shout, known for its campaigns against adult content, raised concerns about certain adult content on platforms like Itch.io and Steam, notably highlighting a controversial game titled No Mercy, which depicted extreme sexual violence and was previously banned from Itch.io. The escalating pressure led to payment processors scrutinizing the content, threatening Itch.io's ability to process payments if compliance was not improved.
To maintain its relationship with payment partners, which are essential for the platform's operations and for creators to receive payments, Itch.io acted swiftly. The move was described as "sudden and disruptive," and the platform apologized for the abruptness.
Itch.io is now conducting a thorough audit of its content to ensure it meets the payment processors' requirements. Once this review is complete, Itch.io plans to introduce a new step requiring creators of NSFW content to explicitly confirm that their content complies with the policies of the payment processors linked to their accounts.
This move follows similar actions taken by Steam, showing a broader industry impact driven by payment processors’ enforcement of their adult content policies under external pressure. It's important to note that thousands of NSFW games have been deindexed on Itch.io, meaning they are shadowbanned and no longer appear on the storefront's browse and search pages. Some pages may be entirely removed as part of the review.
However, it's not all bad news for creators. Itch.io has emphasized its commitment to supporting indie developers and has promised to provide updates on the situation and the new compliance measures in due course.
In a recent blog post, Itch.io acknowledged the situation, stating that all adult NSFW content has been removed from its browse and search pages. The platform also apologized for the sudden and disruptive change, explaining it was due to scrutiny from its payment processors regarding the nature of some content hosted on the platform.
The situation has sparked debates about censorship and freedom of expression, with some arguing that it jeopardizes these principles. Yoko Taro, director of Nier Automata, stated that the issue is not just about censoring adult content or jeopardizing freedom of expression, but rather a security hole that endangers democracy itself.
Despite the controversy, Itch.io remains focused on ensuring its compliance with payment processor policies to maintain its ability to process payments and continue operating as a marketplace for all developers. The link provided still shows a few thousand games with the NSFW tag on Itch.io, suggesting that not all content has been removed at this stage.
[1] Collective Shout Press Release
[2] Kotaku Article
[3] Itch.io Blog Post
[4] Polygon Article
- Game creators on indie platform Itch.io are feeling the heat after the deindexing of NSFW games, as the platform faces scrutiny from payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard, influenced by Australia's Collective Shout group.
- The shift in Itch.io's policies has led to the removal of thousands of adult games from its storefront, stirring debates about censorship and freedom of expression within the gaming and social-media communities.
- As part of its commitment to maintaining its operations and ensuring compliance with payment partners, Itch.io is conducting an audit of its content and plans to introduce a new step for creators of NSFW content to confirm their work adheres to the policies of linked payment processors.
- Meanwhile, other gaming giants like Steam have already taken similar actions, signifying a broader industry impact due to payment processors enforcing their adult content policies under external pressure.
- Itch.io's swift move comes as it faces potential financial repercussions, as non-compliance could lead to the loss of its ability to process payments, affecting its gaming and finance-related operations.
- Amid the controversy, Itch.io has pledged support for indie developers and promised to keep the gaming and entertainment communities updated on new compliance measures. The platform is, however, still hosting a few thousand games with the NSFW tag.
- The situation has caught the attention of influential figures within the gaming industry, with Yoko Taro, director of Nier Automata, expressing concerns over the implications for democracy itself, going beyond censorship of adult content and freedom of expression.
