Open game marketplace itch.io, a popular platform for indie developers to make a name for themselves, has “deindexed all adult NSFW content” from its browsing and search pages, according to the company.
However, itch.io did not make this decision in a vacuum. Instead, the entity’s hand was forced by payment processors via an ongoing campaign called Collective Shout, which has also gone after Steam.
The post’s author, leafo, stated:
“Recently, we came under scrutiny from our payment processors regarding the nature of some content hosted on itch.io. 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.”
leafo noted that NSFW pages will remain deindexed as the website takes “immediate steps towards compliance” in an attempt to keep its relationship with payment partners such as PayPal. Due to the situation’s urgent nature, itch.io could not provide creators with advance notice before the takedown.
Once itch.io is finished with its compliance review, it will “introduce new compliance measures,” including a rule where “creators must confirm their content is allowable under the policies of the respective payment processors.”
A community note on X also claims that itch.io removed these games from players’ libraries without issuing refunds.
The games industry heralds itch.io as an essential place for game developers to get their start.
Collective Shout is a campaign demanding that payment processors stop processing payments on gaming platforms that host harmful NSFW content. The group claims to have found many games on both platforms that violate Australian classification laws, with details that “are too distressing” for the campaign to discuss openly.
The campaign is made up of several notable names around the world, including Haley McNamara, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Programs, National Center on Sexual Exploitation in the United States, and Dr Tegan Larin, Public Officer, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Australia, CATWA.
Recent market analysis from online digital distribution platform Nudix reveals that adult gaming generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually, but this accounts for less than 1% of total game revenues across the industry.
The platform projects that adult games will grow at a rate of 12-15% annually, reaching between $600 million and $800 million by 2028.
