Latest news with #NoMercy
The Verge
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
The chaos and confusion of Itch and Steam's abrupt adult game ban
Two of the biggest digital games stores have stopped selling thousands of titles following pressure from a coalition of anti-porn advocates and the world's biggest payment processing companies. It's happened before, will likely happen again, and is suppressing art, free expression, and marginalized creators. Last week, the indie gaming storefront sent out a sudden notice to the creators that use the site to sell their games, books, art, and other media; it had 'deindexed' all content with the NSFW (not safe for work) tag, meaning works with that tag would no longer turn up in searches, effectively making it impossible to discover or purchase them. Last week, Steam did similarly, removing a swath of games from its platform after implementing stricter policies related to adult content. In its announcement, founder Leaf Corcoran explained that the reason for this drastic action was pressure applied to the company's payment processors by Collective Shout — an Australian nonprofit organization that describes itself as 'a grassroots campaigns movement against the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls.' 'Due to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms,' Corcoran said. Released in March before being delisted by both Steam and in April, No Mercy was described by Collective Shout as a 'rape simulator.' Its developer, Zerat Games, denied this, describing it as a '3D choice-driven adult visual novel with a huge focus on blackmail and male domination.' As a result of Collective Shout's actions, in tandem with the payment processors, over 20,000 games, books, comics, and other creative works — confirmed via the Internet Archive — functionally ceased to exist on the site (though purchased content remains in users' libraries so long as it doesn't violate new guidelines), imperiling the creators who depend on sales from In addition to NSFW content, notable projects that didn't have the tag were caught up in the purge as well. One example is Consume Me, a game about disordered eating and the recent recipient of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2025 Independent Games Festival, which was delisted. There's also concern that this deindexing event will have a disproportionate impact on queer creators, and in the immediate aftermath there has been confusion about the distinction between 'NSFW' and 'adult' content, with a lot of LGBTQ+ stories and games falling under the umbrella of the former. 'My SFW sci-fi comic that's no worse than a standard Marvel movie also got deindexed... but it had the LGBT tag,' wrote Yuki Clarke, a comic artist, on Bluesky. Whenever a platform announces a blanket ban on adult content, LGBTQ+ creators are almost always disproportionately affected, harming queer artists and invariably queer people. In 2021, eBay's removal of its 'Adult Only' section eliminated a popular storefront for LGBTQ+ erotica artists and collectors. In 2022, Tumblr settled with the New York City Commission on Human Rights because its 2018 ban of 'adult content' had a discriminatory impact on queer creators. Several creators have said that their SFW content with the LGBT tag have been deindexed. has responded to some of these claims on social media, saying, 'The deindexing was determined by how creators classified their pages: specifically if the page was tagged as NSFW and as having adult content.' However, there have also been reports that content with the LGBT tag but not the NSFW or Adult tags were still getting delisted, creating confusion about just what kind of works was pulling from its store and why. The Verge has reached out to for clarification. On Bluesky, in response to a creator claiming their LGBT books were delisted despite not having any adult or NSFW tags, the account answered, 'We have a series of automated heuristics that can flag pages for review based on account behavior to help prevent abuse.' It further explained that the LGBT or queer tags wouldn't affect that system. acknowledged that the blanket delisting of all its adult content wasn't ideal and has created concern among its users. But the threat of losing its payment processors required emergency action. 'The situation developed rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform's core payment infrastructure,' Corcoran wrote. Typically, payment processors take actions like this to ensure their products aren't being used to purchase illegal content. In Steam's case, it updated its guidelines to include a rule that prohibits publishing material that 'may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors.' In an email, Casey Becker, spokesperson for Stripe, responded that it does not comment on users directly but, 'generally speaking, we take action when we conclude that users violate our terms of service. We do not support adult content.' Payoneer, one of other payment processors, declined to comment. The Verge has also reached out to PayPal, the last of listed payment processors, for comment. Payment processors have frequently been the reason behind content bans. Though Collective Shout was the inciting agent, it's companies like Visa, Stripe, and others that are responsible for these kinds of acts of mass censorship. In 2014, PayPal threatened to remove all its services from Patreon because the site hosted adult content creators. (PayPal would reverse this decision two years later, but Patreon still makes it difficult for sex workers and porn creators to do business on the website.) In 2021, OnlyFans, a website synonymous with porn, announced that it would ban all sexually explicit content to 'comply with the requests of [the platform's] banking partners and payout provider.' Six days later, OnlyFans would reverse the decision, citing assurances from its banking partners. Scratch a porn ban, and you'll find a PayPal. These processors have enormous power over their clients, and that influence can be used to achieve goals that have nothing to do with consumer choice or safety. is forced to comply with their demands or risk being unable to function entirely. '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,' Corcoran wrote in announcement. says that it is in the process of reviewing and removing NSFW and adult-tagged content that violates its terms of service, while also updating those terms. '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,' the announcement read. It has also updated its July 24th announcement to include answers to commonly asked questions that had been circulating social media, debunking rumors surrounding whether was withholding payments and addressing why such drastic action had to be taken so disruptively. The company also says it's working on finding new payment processors. Players and users are fighting back, flooding Visa and Mastercard customer service lines with complaints. A database has been created where creators can list their deindexed work for people to browse and purchase on alternative sites. Some creators are also removing their work from and are threatening to leave it altogether, as updated NSFW policy makes bans permanent and irreversible while explicitly threatening subversive art. 'Our policy is not an invitation to push the boundaries of what is acceptable. Violations that result in administrative action are permanent with no chance of appeal,' the creator FAQ reads. 'Any funds on the account will not be eligible for payout. There is no second chance.' Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Ash Parrish Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. 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Engadget
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Itch.io is removing NSFW games to comply with payment processors' rules
has deindexed and hidden all adult games from its browse and search pages to make sure it doesn't lose the ability to sell with the payment processors it uses. The gaming marketplace, which mainly hosts titles from indie developers, has admitted in an announcement that it wasn't able to give creators advance notice. It "had to act urgently to protect the platform's core payment infrastructure," it said, because the "situation developed rapidly." The website explained that it recently came under the scrutiny of its payment processors after an organization called Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and Collective Shout, which describes itself as an Australian grassroots campaigning movement, directed its concerns to the gaming marketplaces' payment processors. It originally focused its campaign around the game No Mercy that revolves around a character engaging in rape and sexual violence. Both and Steam removed the game back in April. In its open letter to payment processors published earlier this month, however, the group said it "discovered hundreds of other games featuring rape, incest and child sexual abuse" on Steam and since then. Steam already banned "content that may violate the rules and standards set forth" by its payment processors, which mostly affected adult games. Now, is also clearly heading that way. At the moment, the website is doing a comprehensive audit of its content and will keep adult games delisted until it's done. After it's finished, it will introduce new compliance measures and will require creators of adult games to confirm that their titles are allowed under the rules of the payment processors linked to their account. admitted that some games will be permanently removed from its marketplace as part of its review and the new policy it will put in place, but it said its "ability to process payments is critical for every creator" on its platform. "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," the website said in its announcement. Although No Mercy's removal from gaming websites is understandably celebrated by a lot of people, users are concerned about the potential effects of marketplaces adopting anti-porn rules. Queer content, for instance, is disproportionately affected by censorship measures and could be tagged as "adult" or "NSFW" even when it doesn't contain anything sexual.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pentagon's Hegseth SHUTS DOWN Senators On U.S. Joining Iran-Israel War
Fight For The Skies: Israel Scrambles Response As Iran Rains Fire Amid Airspace Showdown | Watch As the conflict between Iran and Israel enters its sixth day, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman declared that Tehran now holds complete control over the skies above Israel. The bold claim follows the launch of hypersonic missiles in what Iran calls 'Operation Honest Promise 3.' While Israel's missile defense systems have intercepted many incoming attacks, some Iranian missiles have breached and caused damage. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has vowed to show 'no mercy' in response to Israeli aggression. #IranIsraelConflict #MiddleEastWar #ballisticmissiles #NoMercy #IDFStrikes #BreakingNews #khamenei #TehranUnderFire #IsraelUnderAttack #MissileWar 20.0K views | 18 hours ago
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
FULL: 'War For War': Khamenei Declares, Refuses Surrender & Threatens Trump In Address To Iran
Iran Claims Attack On Israeli Air Bases Used In Aggression Against Tehran; IRGC's Big Reveal Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched a fresh wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israeli military airbases Tuesday evening. The attacks, part of the tenth phase of Operation True Promise III, were in direct response to recent Israeli airstrikes that killed Iranian commanders, scientists, and civilians. An IRGC spokesperson called the attacks 'carefully planned and executed,' signaling that the operation will continue in a multi-layered and gradual fashion. The latest barrage began around 7:10 p.m. local time and follows nine earlier phases since June 13. Iran has vowed to sustain its response until what it describes as Israeli aggression is halted.#IranIsraelConflict #MiddleEastWar #ballisticmissiles #NoMercy #IDFStrikes #BreakingNews #khamenei #TehranUnderFire #IsraelUnderAttack #MissileWar #irgc 3.8K views | 6 hours ago
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Iran's UN Envoy Vows BRUTAL Attack On U.S. If Trump Crosses 'RED LINE' To Help Israel In War
Iran Claims Attack On Israeli Air Bases Used In Aggression Against Tehran; IRGC's Big Reveal Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched a fresh wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israeli military airbases Tuesday evening. The attacks, part of the tenth phase of Operation True Promise III, were in direct response to recent Israeli airstrikes that killed Iranian commanders, scientists, and civilians. An IRGC spokesperson called the attacks 'carefully planned and executed,' signaling that the operation will continue in a multi-layered and gradual fashion. The latest barrage began around 7:10 p.m. local time and follows nine earlier phases since June 13. Iran has vowed to sustain its response until what it describes as Israeli aggression is halted.#IranIsraelConflict #MiddleEastWar #ballisticmissiles #NoMercy #IDFStrikes #BreakingNews #khamenei #TehranUnderFire #IsraelUnderAttack #MissileWar #irgc 3.8K views | 6 hours ago
