Itch.io Removes NSFW Games Due to Payment Processor Pressure

You know when you hear something and it just sticks in your head, like a catchy tune you can’t shake off? Well, I stumbled on this bit of news about Itch.io that had my head spinning. So, apparently, Itch.io—yeah, the platform where indie game developers hang out—yanked all these adult NSFW games. Like, poof, gone. And get this, the nudge (or shove?) came from their payment people.

Leaf Corcoran, the big cheese over at Itch.io, spilled the beans in a blog. So there’s this group, Collective Shout, right? They’re not fans of adult content—at all. They practically waged war on both Steam and Itch.io. I mean, who has time for that? But they did, and they went straight to the money folks—the payment providers—and snapped their fingers.

Cue the mad scramble for compliance. Itch.io starts combing through its stuff, making sure they’re toeing the line. It’s like when you just shove everything under your bed because Mom’s about to check if you cleaned your room. Leaf was all like, “Hey, keeping the money wheels turning is kinda essential for the creators here.” Which makes sense; no dough, no go, right?

It’s crunch time over there. The pressure cooker popped its top, and they had to slam on the brakes. Quick decisions, no time to whisper a heads-up to the creators. Sorry folks, sudden detour! Leaf did throw in an apology for the surprise action. Gotta love a heartfelt “oops.”

Oh, and over at Valve, they’re tiptoeing around this too, laying out these fuzzy-wuzzy guidelines about what flies on Steam. Again, blame it on the payment folks throwing their weight around.

So, here we are—content creators in a tizzy, platforms scrambling, payment processors holding all the cards. Ah, the joys of online marketplaces. Anyway—wait, where was I headed with this? Oh right, change is messy, isn’t it?