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The outcry after a recent marketplace crackdown on games with adult content, seemingly due to pressure from payment processors, prompted Mastercard to release a brief statement<\/a> Friday pushing back against recent headlines.<\/p>\n \u201cMastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations,\u201d the company said, adding, \u201cAt the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.\u201d<\/p>\n This follows an open letter<\/a> by the advocacy group Collective Shout addressed to executives at Paypal, Mastercard, Visa, and other companies, criticizing them for allowing the sale of \u201cNo Mercy\u201d and other games that depict rape, incest, and child sexual abuse.<\/p>\n In the following weeks, Steam announced that it would ban games that violate the rules of its \u201cpayment processors and related card networks and banks.\u201d Then Itch.io<\/a> said it was removing games with adult content<\/a> from its browse and search pages while conducting a broader audit.<\/p>\n While Mastercard\u2019s statement seems to undermine the narrative that payment and card companies were the ones pressuring the game marketplaces, Steam owner Valve responded with a statement of its own, provided to PC Gamer<\/a> and other gaming sites.<\/p>\n According to Valve, \u201cMastercard did not communicate with Valve directly, despite our request to do so. Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks. Payment processors communicated this with Valve, and we replied by outlining Steam\u2019s policy since 2018 of attempting to distribute games that are legal for distribution.\u201d<\/p>\n Valve said its response was \u201crejected\u201d by the payment processors, who noted the \u201crisk to the Mastercard brand\u201d and pointed to a Mastercard rule against \u201cillegal or brand-damaging transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> Meanwhile, Itch.io<\/a> said that it\u2019s now re-indexing free games with adult content<\/a> while negotiating with payment processors including Stripe, which for its part said it\u2019s \u201cunable to support sexually explicit content\u201d due to \u201cbanking partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\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