Collective Shout said it campaigned against games depicting sexualized violence and exploitation—not every adult game—and denied that it asked itch.io to remove all NSFW content. The dispute followed Steam’s July 16, 2025, rule change and itch.io’s July 24 decision to deindex adult NSFW content while reviewing compliance with payment processor requirements. Collective Shout’s explanation is its account of its aims; it does not settle why the platforms made every decision or how broadly processor requirements applied.
What Collective Shout said it wanted removed
Collective Shout’s timeline says a gamer reported No Mercy in March 2025. The group says it began campaigning for the game’s removal in April, first contacted Steam, and then approached payment processors after Steam did not respond. On July 14, it published an open letter asking payment companies to stop processing payments for platforms hosting games it described as depicting rape, incest, and child abuse. The letter called on companies to “demonstrate corporate social responsibility” and cease processing payments on Steam, itch.io, and other platforms hosting similar games (Collective Shout’s timeline; July 14 release).
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Visa Virtual eGift Card | $54.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Visa Virtual eGift Card | $28.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Visa Virtual eGift Card | $105.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
$500 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $500.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Visa Virtual eGift Card | $206.95 | Buy on Amazon |
The organization said its focus was specific forms of sexualized violence and abuse, particularly violence against women and girls. In an interview with TweakTown reported by PC Gamer, campaigns manager Caitlin Roper said, “Legality is not the defining factor” in choosing targets. She said the group focused on documented harm and opposed abusive depictions even when they were not illegal. Those are advocacy positions, not neutral findings about the games or a statement of what the law requires (PC Gamer’s report).
Collective Shout’s July 14 release said its investigation found 500 games featuring violent sexual torture and abuse on Steam and itch.io. That is the organization’s reported count, not an independent audit. Its campaign timeline and release also reported more than 70,000 signatures for its petition and campaign. These figures describe the group’s own claims and should not be treated as independently verified totals (Collective Shout’s timeline; July 14 release).
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute#1 Best Overall
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
What Steam and itch.io did in July 2025
Steam revised its publishing rules
On July 16, 2025, Steam added a rule against content that may violate the rules and standards of its payment processors, card networks, banks, or other financial services providers. The Guardian reported that Steam said it was retiring some games under the policy. The rule tied platform eligibility to standards set by financial intermediaries as well as Steam’s own requirements (The Guardian’s report).
itch.io deindexed adult NSFW content
On July 24, itch.io said it had removed adult NSFW content from browse and search while it audited content against payment processor requirements. The platform connected the scrutiny to Collective Shout’s campaign and described payment processing as essential to creators: “Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform” (itch.io’s July 24 statement).
Rank #2
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Deindexing means content no longer appears in the relevant browse and search surfaces; it does not, by itself, establish that every affected game was deleted from its creator’s account. The available reporting does not establish the status of every title or every processor’s specific instruction to each platform.
Why Collective Shout disputed blame for itch.io’s broad change
In a July 28 timeline, Collective Shout rejected claims that it was responsible for itch.io removing all NSFW content. The organization said its objections concerned games involving sexualized violence and torture of women, while itch.io chose to deindex all NSFW content. That is the group’s account of its intended scope and responsibility; it is not an independent determination of all the causes behind itch.io’s decision (Collective Shout’s timeline).
Rank #3
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Roper also argued that if Steam and itch.io had moderated their platforms adequately, temporary delistings would not have been necessary. Responding to censorship concerns, she characterized losing access to rape-themed games on popular platforms as a minor inconvenience rather than a rights violation. These comments reflect Collective Shout’s view of the trade-off, not a settled answer to the broader questions about platform policy and creator rights (PC Gamer’s report).
Why critics objected to the platforms’ response
Critics and affected developers argued that a broad adult-content restriction could affect work beyond the specific games Collective Shout said it targeted, including games exploring queer identity and sexuality. The Guardian described the dispute as a question of how payment processors can influence what people buy, sell, or publish, including where legality is not the deciding standard. Developers also objected to processors exerting that influence indirectly through platforms (The Guardian’s report).
Rank #4
- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
The disagreement is therefore about process as well as content. Platforms must respond to payment requirements that can affect their ability to accept payments, but broad category-level changes can reach lawful work unrelated to a campaign’s stated targets. The July 2025 reporting documents these competing concerns; it does not establish one universally accepted solution or a complete account of what each processor required (The Guardian’s report; itch.io’s statement).
Specific review or broad deindexing?
Title-by-title review can better distinguish a platform’s stated targets from unrelated adult content, but it takes time and depends on clear standards and review capacity. Broad deindexing may be a faster response to uncertainty about payment compliance, but it can hide a much wider range of work. The sources describe the different effects and pressures; they do not show that either approach is a universally accepted answer.
Recommended Free Tools
Best Value
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Legal standards or contractual standards?
A game’s legality and whether a platform or payment processor will support it are separate questions. Roper said legality was not Collective Shout’s defining criterion. Steam’s revised rule referred to payment providers’ standards, and itch.io said it was auditing against processor requirements. That means a work can be caught up in a platform decision without the public record establishing that it was illegal.
Compliance speed or meaningful recourse?
Platforms may face pressure to act quickly to protect payment access. Creators, in turn, need understandable rules, notice about affected content, and a way to challenge mistakes or overly broad decisions. The published accounts describe the tension, but do not establish a complete appeal process or a uniform notice standard for affected creators.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the reported removal counts
The figures reported in 2025 refer to different things and come from different sources; they should not be added together or presented as comparable totals.
| Figure | What it counts | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 500 games | Games Collective Shout said featured violent sexual torture and abuse on Steam and itch.io. | Collective Shout’s July 14, 2025, release; an organization-reported count, not an independent audit (release). |
| More than 20,000 games | Games removed from itch.io’s NSFW category since July 16, 2025. | Game File’s count as reported by The Guardian; scoped to itch.io’s NSFW category and the period beginning July 16 (The Guardian’s report). |
| More than 70,000 signatures | Signatures associated with Collective Shout’s April petition and campaign concerning No Mercy. | Collective Shout’s own timeline and July 14 release; organization-reported campaign figures (timeline; release). |
No independently audited combined count of games affected across both storefronts is established in the cited reporting.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →What the dispute does—and does not—establish
- Collective Shout says it targeted games depicting sexualized violence and exploitation and turned to payment processors after it says Steam did not respond to its direct outreach.
- itch.io said processor scrutiny and the importance of its payment infrastructure led it to deindex adult NSFW content and conduct an audit.
- Collective Shout says itch.io’s all-NSFW deindexing went beyond the group’s requested focus; that is the organization’s position, not a complete independent account of platform decision-making.
- Critics and affected creators raised concerns about broad effects on lawful content and the indirect influence of payment processors.
These are historical events reported in July–September 2025. Platform policies and individual game availability can change, so the accounts above should not be read as confirmation of current rules or listings.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
