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Indie video game marketplace Itch.io<\/a> announced this week that it has \u201cdeindexed\u201d adult and not-safe-for-work games<\/a>, removing them from its browse and search pages.<\/p>\n The move, the company said, was in response to a campaign by Collective Shout (an advocacy group that has previously criticized<\/a> video games, rap music, and lingerie commercials) targeting both Itch.io<\/a> and Steam for selling \u201cNo Mercy,\u201d a game that depicts rape and incest<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an open letter<\/a> addressed to executives at PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, and other payment processors, Collective Shout said that games \u201cendorsing men\u2019s sexualised abuse and torture of women and girls fly in the face of efforts to address violence against women.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not see how facilitating payment transactions and deriving financial benefit from these violent and unethical games, is consistent with your corporate values and mission statements,\u201d the organization added.<\/p>\n The campaign appears to have worked, with Steam saying earlier this month that it would ban games<\/a> that \u201cmay violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam\u2019s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers.\u201d<\/p>\n Similarly, itch.io<\/a> said, \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<\/p>\n It also said that \u201cNo Mercy\u201d had been \u201ctemporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April,\u201d and that \u201cthe situation developed rapidly,\u201d forcing the company to \u201cact urgently to protect the platform\u2019s core payment infrastructure,\u201d without providing advanced notice to creators.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> The company said it\u2019s now conducting a \u201ccomprehensive audit\u201d to ensure that games available on the marketplace meet \u201cthe requirements of our payment processors,\u201d with adult content remaining deindexed until the audit is complete. After the audit, itch.io<\/a> said NSFW game creators will be required to confirm that their content is allowed under the policies of their payment processors linked to their account.<\/p>\n On social media, users criticizing itch.io<\/a>\u2019s decision noted that its current terms<\/a> declare that adult content violations are \u201cpermanent with no chance of appeal\u201d and that any funds in an offending account \u201cwill not be eligible for payout\u201d \u2014 or as one developer put it<\/a>, \u201cIf you violate the rules, we take all your money. Not just the money from that work, ALL your money from EVERYTHING you\u2019ve ever made.\u201d<\/p>\n This is far from the first time that payment companies appear to have pressured online platforms over adult content \u2014 for example, last year Gumroad pointed to restrictions from payment processors when it implemented stricter rules<\/a> around NSFW art, and OnlyFans also blamed \u201cbanking partners and payment providers\u201d when it banned explicit content<\/a> (a decision that it subsequently reversed<\/a>).<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 27-29, 2025<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n