Itch.io Removes NSFW Games Due to Payment Processor Pressure

Well, here we go. So, Itch.io, you know, that place where all the quirky indie game stuff lives? They just booted off every single adult NSFW game. Why? Pressure from payment folks. Yeah, money talks, or shouts, apparently.

Leaf Corcoran, the big cheese over there, he scribbled a blog post about it. Basically, there’s this group—Collective Shout—that’s on a mission. Steam wasn’t enough; they had to go after Itch.io too. So, they complained to the payment dudes. Boom, chaos ensues.

Now Itch.io’s running around doing some kind of “content audit.” Fancy talk for “let’s make sure we’re playing nice with the money guys.” And you betcha, they’re gonna roll out new rules to keep everyone happy. Well, not everyone.

Leaf was all like, “We can’t process payments? Game over for creators.” I mean, fair point, right? They gotta keep things rolling, and that means being buddy-buddy with the payment partners. Like, ASAP.

“This is big, people.” Paraphrasing here, but Leaf basically said the thing went down fast, and they had to jump into action. No time for a heads up to the creators though, and, yeah, that’s kinda a bummer. Abrupt and all, but sometimes you gotta yank the band-aid off.

Steam’s in the same boat, sorta. They got some nebulous new rules too. Credit Collect Shout and their relentless, uh, enthusiasm for that one. Payment processors seem to rule the world now, huh? Anyway—or no—what was I saying? Right. Moves were made, and not the fun kind.