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The backlash began after Steam changed its rules and itch.io hid many NSFW games in July 2025, amid scrutiny from payment providers. The dispute is often described as Mastercard or Visa ordering games removed, but the available reporting supports a more precise account: an advocacy campaign prompted scrutiny that Valve said reached it through payment processors and acquiring banks, while the storefronts made their own policy and listing changes. Mastercard publicly denied evaluating games or requiring restrictions on creator platforms.
What set off the backlash?
Collective Shout, an Australian advocacy organization, sent an open letter to payment providers asking them to stop processing payments for Steam and itch.io over games it said featured rape, incest, and child sexual abuse themes. The Guardian reported that the letter followed the removal of No Mercy earlier in 2025. The Guardian’s account of the campaign and platform changes describes how the issue moved from a campaign about specific content into a broader dispute over storefront rules.
Players and developers objected because the platform responses reached beyond the particular games named by the campaign. Critics characterized the changes as censorship and argued that payment companies could influence what games remain available even without issuing a public, direct order. Payment companies and intermediaries, by contrast, framed their concerns around rules, risk, and unlawful content. Those are competing characterizations, not proof that a card network ordered each removal.
What changed on Steam and itch.io?
| Storefront | Change reported in July 2025 | What that does—and does not—mean |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | On 16 July 2025, Valve expanded its rules to include content that may violate payment processors’ standards, including “certain kinds of adult content.” Valve later said it retired games under the new rules. The Guardian reported the rule change and its context. | The reporting does not specify every affected category or establish that Mastercard or Visa directed each delisting. |
| itch.io | itch.io said it was under payment-provider scrutiny and temporarily deindexed NSFW games while it audited content. Its broad response affected material beyond the specific games named by Collective Shout, including games with LGBTQ+ themes. The Guardian reported the deindexing and the platform’s explanation. | Deindexing means games were made harder to find or removed from category listings; it is not the same as confirming every game was permanently deleted. Later reporting said itch.io was re-indexing free adult games and pursuing other processors. The Guardian reported those later developments. |
At the time, Game File, as cited by The Guardian, reported that more than 20,000 games had been removed from itch.io’s NSFW category since 16 July 2025. That was a contemporaneous figure about category removal, not a current count and not evidence that all those games were permanently deleted. The Guardian’s report on the figure and re-indexing.
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Did Mastercard or Visa directly order the removals?
The available accounts do not establish a direct order from either network to remove particular games. Valve told TechCrunch that Mastercard did not contact Valve directly, despite Valve’s request. Valve said Mastercard communicated with payment processors and acquiring banks, which then contacted Valve. According to Valve, those intermediaries rejected its explanation of Steam’s policies and cited “risk to the Mastercard brand.” This is Valve’s account of indirect pressure through intermediaries; it is not evidence that Mastercard itself issued a direct instruction. TechCrunch reported Valve’s account.
Mastercard’s public statement, dated 1 August 2025, said: “Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations.” It also said: “At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.” Mastercard’s statement is reproduced in TechCrunch’s report.
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These accounts can coexist: Mastercard denied evaluating games or requiring platform restrictions, while Valve said intermediaries invoked Mastercard brand risk when communicating with Steam. The distinction matters. A payment network’s rules, an intermediary’s assessment of risk, and a storefront’s decision about what to sell are related but not identical actions.
Why did a dispute about specific content affect so many games?
The advocacy campaign called attention to particular allegedly abusive themes. The platforms’ responses were broader: Steam changed a rule referring to content that may violate processor standards, while itch.io temporarily deindexed NSFW games as it audited content. On itch.io, the response also affected games with LGBTQ+ themes. This gap between the campaign’s stated focus and the scope of the platforms’ actions helps explain why many players and creators saw the episode as a threat to adult games generally, rather than a narrow response to the titles singled out by the campaign.
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Itch.io said the situation developed rapidly and that it acted to protect its “core payment infrastructure.” It also said it could not realistically give creators advance notice before making the change and apologized for the abruptness. The Guardian reported itch.io’s statement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should players and developers take away?
- Do not conflate different outcomes. A game being retired from sale, deindexed from search or a category, and permanently deleted are distinct. The reporting on itch.io described deindexing and auditing; it did not establish permanent deletion of every affected title.
- Separate pressure from a direct order. Valve described communications through payment processors and acquiring banks and said they cited Mastercard brand risk. Mastercard denied requiring restrictions on creator platforms. The available accounts do not establish that Mastercard or Visa directly ordered each storefront action.
- Recognize who made the platform changes. Steam changed its rules, and itch.io deindexed NSFW games. Those storefront decisions occurred amid payment-provider scrutiny, but they were not interchangeable with a direct network command.
The reporting cited here documents the 2025 controversy. It does not verify Steam’s or itch.io’s exact policies or the restoration status of affected titles as of October 2026, so the July 2025 situation should not be assumed to remain unchanged.
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