Following Steam, indie game marketplace Itch.io also begins cracking down on adult games

Indie game marketplace Itch.io has announced that it will strengthen its restrictions on adult content. The reason for Itch.io's crackdown on adult content is due to pressure from payment processors, just like Steam.

Update on NSFW content - itch.io
https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content

Itch.io is the latest marketplace to crack down on adult games | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/27/itch-io-is-the-latest-marketplace-to-crack-down-on-adult-games/

On July 24, 2025 local time, Itch.io announced that it would be 'de-indexing' all adult content from its browse and search pages. Regarding this change, Itch.io posted, 'We understand that this change is sudden and inconvenient. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience and confusion this change may cause.'

Itch.io explained the reason for its increased restrictions on adult games, saying, 'Due to an investigation by a payment processor and the fact that a game called No Mercy was briefly available on Itch.io before being banned in April, a group called Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and Itch.io to raise concerns with payment processors about the nature of certain content (adult content) present on both platforms.'

Collective Shout, which is the reason why Itch.io strengthened its restrictions on adult games, is an anti-pornography group based in Australia that pressures payment processors to force game distribution platforms to regulate adult games.

As Itch.io explains, Steam has also been forced to remove a large number of adult games from its platform due to pressure from Collective Shout.

After Steam removes a large number of adult games, anti-pornography group declares 'victory over pedophile gamers', 'Gamers Enraged' trending on Japan's X (formerly Twitter) - GIGAZINE

'Because the ability to process payments is critical to all creators who use our platform, we need to prioritize our relationships with our payment partners and take immediate steps to become compliant in order to stay in business and provide a marketplace for all developers,' Itch.io explained.

Itch.io is conducting a comprehensive audit of its content to meet payment processor requirements, and adult content pages will remain removed from the index until the review is complete. Once the review is complete, Itch.io explains, it will implement new compliance measures, adding additional steps for adult content creators to ensure their content complies with the policies of the payment processors linked to their accounts.

On social media, there have been voices criticizing Itch.io's decision. Game developer Gwen C. Katz wrote, 'Here is Itch.io's new content policy: 1: I can't tell you what is a violation of the rules. 2: If you violate the rules, all rewards will be confiscated. Not only will you lose the rewards for that content, but you will lose the rewards for all content you've ever created. No matter how small Itch.io is, this is not a viable platform,' pointing out that the new content policy is unclear about what specific content violates the policy.

Itch's new content policy is:

1. We can't tell you what violates the rules.

2. If you violate the rules, we take all your money. Not just the money from that work, ALL your money from EVERYTHING you've ever made.

I don't care how much of a smol bean Itch is, this is not a viable platform.

[image or embed]

— Gwen C. Katz ( @gwenckatz.bsky.social ) July 27, 2025 2:49

In addition, an online petition against attempts to regulate online platforms' handling of adult content through payment processors is being carried out on Change.org, and at the time of writing, more than 140,000 signatures have already been collected.

Online Petition · Tell MasterCard, Visa & Activist Groups: Stop Controlling What We Can Watch, Read, or Play - United States · Change.org
https://www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-what-we-can-watch-read-or-play