Game developers association decries 'financial censorship' amidst payment processor crackdown on NSFW games, calls for 'greater transparency and fairness in how adult games are moderated'

The International Game Developers Association, a non-profit industry group that aims to "support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers," has weighed into the controversy over the delisting of NSFW games on Steam and Itch.io, calling for "greater transparency and fairness in how adult games are moderated and actioned across major platforms."

"The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is seriously alarmed by the recent wave of game delistings, deindexing, and payment disruptions targeting adult-themed titles on platforms such as Steam and Itch.io," the IGDA said in a lengthy press release.

"Reports suggest these actions have been taken with little to no communication and have disproportionately harmed developers producing legal, consensual, and ethically-developed content, including creators from marginalized communities."

The IGDA's expression of concerns arises from a recent crackdown on adult games on both Steam and Itch.io, driven by pressure from credit card companies that were themselves pressured by Australian anti-porn crusaders Collective Shout. Collective Shout's campaign, initially sparked by the brief appearance of "non-consensual sex" game No Mercy on digital storefronts, ostensibly targets "rape, incest, and child abuse games," but a wide swath of adult-themed games were quickly caught in its wake as platforms scrambled to avoid annoying their payment processors.

"Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform," Itch.io said in an update on NSFW content posted last week. "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."

One of the big issues amidst all this is that specific moderation policies on adult games are, to put it mildly, unclear. Despite the crackdown on NSFW games, for instance, there are still plenty of games on Steam about things like, for instance, kidnapping and "training" a very clearly unwilling sex slave. It's effectively impossible to say with certainty what will clear the bar and what won't, and confusion is the inevitable result. At least two games, Consume Me and Mouthwashing, were thought to have been deindexed on Itch.io as a result of this payment processor crackdown, but according to Itch.io were actually deindexed in 2024 for completely unrelated reasons.

That lack of transparency is what the IGDA is focusing on: The org said its concern is not the rules and restrictions themselves, "but rather that their enforcement is adversely impacting games that do not actually violate these restrictions, often without warning or explanation."

"Developers report games being delisted or hidden despite prior approval or longstanding presence on these platforms," the IGDA said. "The lack of transparency around enforcement criteria, sudden shifts in policy, and an absence of appeal pathways leave creators with no clear path to compliance or recourse.

"Games that feature consensual adult content, including queer, kink-positive, or romantic narratives, are easily targeted under vague or overly cautious enforcement, often forcing developers into silence or self-censorship because platforms fear perceived risks associated with hosting legal adult content."

Worse, at least as a matter of principle if not practicality, it's not the platforms themselves making this mess, but "financial institutions [that] are now influencing which stories can be told and sold in games, with minimal transparency or public accountability."

In the sort of obligatory boilerplate that has to be attached to public expressions of support for sex stuff, the IGDA emphasized that it "does not condone or support content that promotes or fetishizes sexual violence, non-consensual sexual acts, or the sexualization of minors ... Our advocacy focuses specifically on developers creating consensual, lawful, and ethically-developed games, and we support clear, consistent content policies, not vague or overly broad censorship."

Setting aside questions of what constitutes "ethically-developed games," because that's a whole other ball of vaguely-defined wax, the IGDA listed five policy recommendations for digital storefronts and payment processors alike:

• Publish clear, detailed guidelines that distinguish prohibited content from lawful adult expression.
• Provide timely communication and specific reasons when enforcement actions are taken.
• Offer structured appeals and revision pathways for developers.
• Form advisory panels with legal experts, marginalized creators, and trust & safety professionals.
• Release regular transparency reports documenting enforcement actions.

The org also suggested platforms consider "alternatives to overly risk-averse financial partners," including Verotel, CCBill, and "other vetted services suited for legal adult content," and provided multiple contact links for both Visa and Mastercard so people can more easily share their thoughts on "financial censorship."

"Globally and politically, we are at a crossroads for developer rights, creative freedom, and platform accountability," the IGDA wrote. "The right to make mature games with legal adult content is a creative right, just like the right to tell stories about war, death, or love. Developers deserve clarity in the guidelines impacting their work, consistency in the enforcement of those policies, and respect for their creative freedoms."