Itch.io has deindexed and hidden all adult games from its browse and search pages to make sure it doesn’t lose the ability to sell with the payment processors it uses. The gaming marketplace, which mainly hosts titles from indie developers, has admitted in an announcement that it wasn’t able to give creators advance notice. It “had to act urgently to protect the platform’s core payment infrastructure,” it said, because the “situation developed rapidly.”
The website explained that it recently came under the scrutiny of its payment processors after an organization called Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io. Collective Shout, which describes itself as an Australian grassroots campaigning movement, directed its concerns to the gaming marketplaces’ payment processors. It originally focused its campaign around the game No Mercy that revolves around a character engaging in rape and sexual violence. Both itch.io and Steam removed the game back in April. In its open letter to payment processors published earlier this month, however, the group said it “discovered hundreds of other games featuring rape, incest and child sexual abuse” on Steam and itch.io since then.
Steam already banned “content that may violate the rules and standards set forth” by its payment processors, which mostly affected adult games. Now, itch.io is also clearly heading that way. At the moment, the website is doing a comprehensive audit of its content and will keep adult games delisted until it’s done. After it’s finished, it will introduce new compliance measures and will require creators of adult games to confirm that their titles are allowed under the rules of the payment processors linked to their account.
Itch.io admitted that some games will be permanently removed from its marketplace as part of its review and the new policy it will put in place, but it said its “ability to process payments is critical for every creator” on its platform. “To 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,” the website said in its announcement.
Although No Mercy’s removal from gaming websites is understandably celebrated by a lot of people, users are concerned about the potential effects of marketplaces adopting anti-porn rules. Queer content, for instance, is disproportionately affected by censorship measures and could be tagged as “adult” or “NSFW” even when it doesn’t contain anything sexual.