Digital distribution platforms Steam and itch.io have tightened their rules about adult content – under pressure from payment processors. Why has this happened and where will it lead?
In the last two weeks, thousands of “adult only” and “not safe for work” games have disappeared from Steam and itch.io – two of the most prominent distribution platforms for PC video games – as they scrambled to comply with stricter rules mandated by payment processors such as MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal.
These rules were established after a campaign by the organisation Collective Shout, which urged payment processors to stop facilitating payments to platforms hosting “rape, incest and child sexual abuse-themed games”. But the new rules have affected a far broader range of games – including some award-winning titles.
On 16 July, Valve, the developer of Steam, updated its rules and guidelines regarding the games and software that can be distributed on the platform. The rules, which already prohibited “nude or sexually explicit images of real people” and “adult content that isn’t appropriately labelled or age gated” were expanded to include “content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors” including “certain kinds of adult content”.
