Latest news with #paymentprocessors
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mastercard denies pressuring game platforms, Valve tells a different story
The outcry after a recent marketplace crackdown on games with adult content, seemingly due to pressure from payment processors, prompted Mastercard to release a brief statement Friday pushing back against recent headlines. 'Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations,' the company said, adding, 'At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.' This follows an open letter by the advocacy group Collective Shout addressed to executives at Paypal, Mastercard, Visa, and other companies, criticizing them for allowing the sale of 'No Mercy' and other games that depict rape, incest, and child sexual abuse. In the following weeks, Steam announced that it would ban games that violate the rules of its 'payment processors and related card networks and banks.' Then said it was removing games with adult content from its browse and search pages while conducting a broader audit. While Mastercard's statement seems to undermine the narrative that payment and card companies were the ones pressuring the game marketplaces, Steam owner Valve responded with a statement of its own, provided to PC Gamer and other gaming sites. According to Valve, 'Mastercard did not communicate with Valve directly, despite our request to do so. Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks. Payment processors communicated this with Valve, and we replied by outlining Steam's policy since 2018 of attempting to distribute games that are legal for distribution.' Valve said its response was 'rejected' by the payment processors, who noted the 'risk to the Mastercard brand' and pointed to a Mastercard rule against 'illegal or brand-damaging transactions.' Meanwhile, said that it's now re-indexing free games with adult content while negotiating with payment processors including Stripe, which for its part said it's 'unable to support sexually explicit content' due to 'banking partners.' Sign in to access your portfolio
TechCrunch
5 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Mastercard denies pressuring game platforms, Valve tells a different story
The outcry after a recent marketplace crackdown on games with adult content, seemingly due to pressure from payment processors, prompted Mastercard to release a brief statement Friday pushing back against recent headlines. 'Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations,' the company said, adding, 'At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.' This follows an open letter by the advocacy group Collective Shout addressed to executives at Paypal, Mastercard, Visa, and other companies, criticizing them for allowing the sale of 'No Mercy' and other games that depict rape, incest, and child sexual abuse. In the following weeks, Steam announced that it would ban games that violate the rules of its 'payment processors and related card networks and banks.' Then said it was removing games with adult content from its browse and search pages while conducting a broader audit. While Mastercard's statement seems to undermine the narrative that payment and card companies were the ones pressuring the game marketplaces, Steam owner Valve responded with a statement of its own, provided to PC Gamer and other gaming sites. According to Valve, 'Mastercard did not communicate with Valve directly, despite our request to do so. Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks. Payment processors communicated this with Valve, and we replied by outlining Steam's policy since 2018 of attempting to distribute games that are legal for distribution.' Valve said its response was 'rejected' by the payment processors, who noted the 'risk to the Mastercard brand' and pointed to a Mastercard rule against 'illegal or brand-damaging transactions.' Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW Meanwhile, said that it's now re-indexing free games with adult content while negotiating with payment processors including Stripe, which for its part said it's 'unable to support sexually explicit content' due to 'banking partners.'
WIRED
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- WIRED
Itch.io Is Restoring NSFW Games—as Long as They're Free
Aug 1, 2025 12:24 PM Facing pressure from payment processors, the indie game platform delisted many adult titles this week. began offering free NSFW content again on Thursday as it looks for new payment options. On Thursday indie gaming platform began reindexing some of the adult content it had delisted last month amidst pressure from conservative groups and payment processors over its hosting of NSFW titles. While the move returns some content to the site's searchable catalogue it only impacts those games, comics, and other offerings that are already free, and therefore not caught in the current payment debacle. 'We are still in ongoing discussions with payment processors and will be re-introducing paid content slowly to ensure we can confidently support the widest range of creators in the long term,' Itch founder Leaf Corcoran wrote in a post on the site. Itch and gaming platform Steam began delisting or outright removing games with adult content in July. Conservative group Collective Shout targeted both platforms as part of what the group says was an effort to get what it alleges are 'rape and incest' games removed from the platforms. Valve, which runs Steam, began removing hundreds of games after Collective Shout put pressure on its payment processors, urging the banking institutions not to do business with the company over the content on its platform. When the group did the same thing to Itch's payment processors, Itch reportedly delisted more than 20,000 titles with NSFW tags, sparking protest campaigns against financial institutions like Visa and Mastercard. The delistings have impacted thousands of creators, including marginalized developers who identify as queer, trans, and BIPOC. If Itch can't come to an agreement with its payment processors the company will effectively be unable to sell anything to customers. Corcoran says that one of its earliest processors, Stripe, has confirmed that 'they will not be able to support adult content that fits the following definition: 'content designed for sexual gratification.'' In a statement given to WIRED, Mastercard says it has 'not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity' on gaming platforms. 'Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law,' spokesperson Seth Eisen says. 'Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.' When asked how the company was identifying illegal adult content on the platforms, Eisen directed WIRED to a policy the company posted in 2021 stipulating that vendors use "strong content control measures on sites where our products are accepted." Itch and Valve's removals have been unpopular with both the gaming community and creators. On Steam, some developers believe their games have been unfairly impacted as part of Collective Shout's efforts. Vile: Exhumed creator Cara Cadaver tells WIRED that she believes her game was kicked off of Steam because of 'sexual content with depictions of real people,' which she says is inaccurate. 'Anyone who got the chance to play the game knows it is all implied,' Cadaver says. 'The game has a lot of gore and violent themes but that was the reason given.' Cadaver says that not being able to release on Steam 'drastically decreases' the game's potential reach. 'Steam is the largest video game storefront,' she says. 'Less people will be able to play Vile or even know it exists.' Valve has not responded to multiple requests for comment. The company confirmed to PC Gamer in July it had removed some games that violated 'rules and standards set forth by our payment processors and their related card networks and banks.' Corcoran's post on Thursday noted Itch will be adding a new 'content warnings' system for NSFW pages. The founder previously told WIRED that the platform is seeking alternative payment processors. Valve has yet to address changes to its platform since the initial news.
The Verge
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Itch.io has begun restoring NSFW content, but only if it's free
There's a new turn in the story. In a forum post, creator and founder Leaf Corcoran has notified users that the company has begun the process of restoring thousands of NSFW pages that were deindexed — that is, content that has been removed from search results and recommendation lists. The catch is that in order for deindexed content to be restored, it has to be listed as free. This is ostensibly because there can be no objection from payment processors if there are no payments being processed for prohibited material. 'Today, we are re-indexing free adult NSFW content,' Corcoran wrote. The creator went on to explain that the company is actively working to restore paid NSFW content but that will take some time. 'We are still in ongoing discussions with payment processors and will be re-introducing paid content slowly to ensure we can confidently support the widest range of creators in the long term.' The adult content ban began last week with the indie storefront announcing that it had mass deindexed all content labeled as 'NSFW' or 'adult' in the face of mounting pressure from the site's payment processors. That pressure, Corcoran said, is what caused the rather abrupt and disruptive action that resulted in over 20,000 pages containing games, books, comics, artwork, and more being removed from the site virtually overnight and with no advance communication. '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 the original announcement. Since then, creators and more have mounted a massive pushback campaign, calling up payment processors like Visa and Mastercard demanding they let conduct business as usual. In an email to The Verge, Mastercard's senior vice president of communications Seth Eisen denied allegations that it is essentially censoring its client writing: 'Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations. Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law. Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.' Visa has similar language on its website. 'Visa does not discriminate against legal transactions. Some merchants, such as adult content or gambling sites that operate legally, face an elevated risk of illegal activity, and we require enhanced safeguards for acquirers supporting merchants in these industries.' In the meantime, Corcoran said that Stripe, one of payment processors for over 10 years, will not support NSFW content at all, but added that is working to find new business partners. 'We are in the process of talking with other payment partners to accept card payments that Stripe is unable to process,' Corcoran wrote. 'Our long-term plan is to implement one or more new processors to avoid putting the platform at risk.'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. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News
The Guardian
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Why did thousands of adult titles just disappear from the biggest PC gaming marketplaces?
In the last two weeks, thousands of 'adult only' and 'not safe for work' games have disappeared from Steam and – two of the most prominent distribution platforms for PC video games – as they scrambled to comply with stricter rules mandated by payment processors such as MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal. These rules were established after a campaign by the organisation Collective Shout, which urged payment processors to stop facilitating payments to platforms hosting 'rape, incest and child sexual abuse-themed games'. But the new rules have affected a far broader range of games – including some award-winning titles. On 16 July, Valve, the developer of Steam, updated its rules and guidelines regarding the games and software that can be distributed on the platform. The rules, which already prohibited 'nude or sexually explicit images of real people' and 'adult content that isn't appropriately labelled or age gated' were expanded to include 'content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors' including 'certain kinds of adult content'. In a statement to PC Gamer on 18 July, Valve confirmed it was 'retiring' several games from the Steam store due to these new rules. It did not clarify which games were being removed, nor what 'kinds of adult content' are now deemed unsuitable. A week later, issued a statement explaining it had also come under 'scrutiny' from payment processors, and as such was 'deindexing' (removing from search results) all games labelled 'NFSW' as it undertook a 'comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors.' Unlike Valve, specifically referenced Collective Shout as the cause of the renewed scrutiny. Collective Shout is an Australian organisation that describes itself as 'a grassroots campaigns movement against the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls'. In April, it successfully petitioned to have the game No Mercy – which featured depictions of 'incest', 'blackmail' and 'unavoidable non-consensual sex' – removed from Steam and After this, the group published an open letter to payment processors claiming to have 'discovered hundreds of other games featuring rape, incest and child sexual abuse on both Steam and and requesting payment processors 'demonstrate corporate social responsibility and immediately cease processing payments on Steam and After Steam altered its rules, Collective Shout claimed credit for the change, stating that more than 1,000 of its supporters had called or emailed payment processors to demand they 'stop facilitating payments and profiting from these games'. Like many online retailers, Steam and rely on payment processors to enable users to make purchases on their platforms. As such, these companies hold considerable power and can influence what products – regardless of their legality – are bought, sold or published. In recent years, payment processors have become increasingly strict about transactions relating to adult content. In 2021, the subscription-based video platform OnlyFans, widely used by adult content creators, announced it would ban adult material from the site after pressure from payment processors – though this plan was subsequently abandoned. Later that year, Mastercard imposed a new policy regulating adult content sellers – one criticised by the American Civil Liberties Union as being restrictive to free speech and potentially harmful to sex workers – and an example of what is known as financial censorship. It isn't clear how many games have been 'retired' from Steam due to the new rules, but multiple games that depicted incest fantasies have been removed. as mentioned, has deindexed most games labelled NSFW. According to the games industry newsletter Game File, more than 20,000 games have been removed from NSFW category since 16 July. But these include games that explore queer identity and sexuality, such as Radiator 2 by Robert Yang, a former teacher at New York University's Game Center. Update: Itch has released an addendum on its website stating that it is working to clarify new payment processing policies, and is seeking alternate payment partners for adult-rated content. Many developers have decried the power that payment processors wield over what games are bought and sold, and how that power can be exerted indirectly by campaign groups such as Collective Shout. In a Bluesky post, Yang described Collective Shout and payment processors as 'waging culture war against LGBTQ people and sexual expression', while Consume Me's developers told Wired that it is 'completely unacceptable that payment processors are conducting censorship-by-fiat and systematically locking adult content creators out of platforms'. A petition calling for payment processors and activist groups to 'stop controlling what we can watch, read, or play' was launched on 17 July. The petition claims 'MasterCard and Visa are interfering with legal entertainment', and demands 'the right to choose the stories we enjoy without moral policing'. So far it has accrued more than 150,000 signatures. Meanwhile, gamers and developers are sharing the phone numbers of major payment companies and encouraging people to call and complain. It is hard to know for sure. With sustained consumer pressure, payment processors may reconsider their position, but it may also be challenging for anti-censorship voices to muster political support due to prevailing legislative winds surrounding online adult content. The UK this month enacted stricter regulations regarding age verification for internet users wanting to access adult content, while the EU has drafted guidelines for similar systems. Consequently, it is likely that the new rules will remain in place at Steam and at least for the immediate future. But the fallout has drawn attention to the power that payment processors wield, and the lack of clarity surrounding their rules. Because of this, they may tread more cautiously when responding to pressure from advocacy groups in the future. This article was amended on 30 July 2025. An earlier version stated that the games Last Call and Consume Me had been deindexed on the digital platform as a result of new payment processing rules; however, Last Call has not been affected and Consume Me was not previously indexed.
