Indie haven Itch.io removes adult content to appease “payment processors” with previous purchases inaccessible to users
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Following in the footsteps of Valve’s Steam storefront, indie game haven Itch.io is now removing reams of adult content from its digital marketplace to appease the demands of payment processors.
In a statement to users, Itch.io announced that all adult games and books will be taken down for download and de-indexed to satisfying the demands of payment processors after the platform “came under scrutiny” some weeks ago.
The storefront explained that the situation revolves around a since-delisted game titled No Mercy, a controversial visual novel game that focused on non-consensual acts. The game was removed from Steam and Itch back in April.
“Due to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms,” Itch said its statement.
Itch explained that giving into the demands of payment partners and taking “immediate steps towards compliance” is move taken to support the rest of the marketplace’s creators. Non-compliance would mean that the thousands of creators not making adult-themed games would not be able to be paid.
“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,” the website said. “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 apologize for the abruptness of this change.”
The most egregious aspect of Itch’s removal of adult content is the retroactive removal of purchases from users’ accounts. Games that are flagged as problematic will not only be removed for new customers, but also existing ones. While some NSFW content will return in the coming months, the titles that are completely removed will be unavailable to download.
“We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors,” Itch said. “Pages will remain deindexed as we complete our review. Once this review is complete, we will introduce new compliance measures. For NSFW pages, this will include a new step where creators must confirm that their content is allowable under the policies of the respective payment processors linked to their account.”
