In a controversial move making waves across the gaming and LGBTQ communities, credit card giants Visa and Mastercard have forced video game platforms Steam and Itch.io to remove adult content—or risk losing payment processing privileges altogether. Earlier this month, both companies pressured the platforms to scrub their NSFW—or Not Safe For Work—libraries, citing complaints from anti-pornography activists. Steam reportedly removed hundreds of titles, while Itch.io deindexed its entire adult content section.
A spokesperson for Itch.io explained the decision was made under duress,
“This is a time critical moment for itch.io. The situation developed rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform’s core payment infrastructure…Unfortunately, this meant it was not realistic to provide creators with advance notice before making this change. We know this is not ideal, and we apologise for the abruptness of this change.”
The pressure came from Collective Shout, a right-wing Australian group that accused the platforms of hosting games with disturbing content. In an open letter, they demanded immediate action from Visa and Mastercard, saying:
“We request that you demonstrate corporate social responsibility and immediately cease processing payments on Steam and Itch.io.”
Critics have called the move a dangerous form of corporate censorship. A viral petition with nearly 200,000 signatures slams the policy as hypocritical and controlling. It says,
“Adults are capable of choosing what they want to watch, read, or play. If someone doesn’t like a certain type of entertainment, the solution is simple: walk away.”
The ACLU added its voice to the protest, writing in a petition with over 155,000 signatures that the policy
“only applies to websites that host adult content – when all available evidence indicates that these problems proliferate across all kinds of sites.”
With LGBTQ creators and fans disproportionately impacted by content bans, many fear this may just be the beginning of broader censorship.
