The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has said it’s “seriously alarmed” by the recent wave of delistings and de-indexing of NSFW adult games from platforms such as itch.io and Steam.
In a lengthy statement released on July 29, the non-profit industry organization called for “greater transparency and fairness in how adult games are moderated and actioned across major platforms.”
The statement is in response to the recent delistings and de-indexing of adult content on itch.io and Steam due to pressure from their payment processors.
This increasing pressure from payment processors is believed to be a result of an ongoing campaign by the Australian pressure group Collective Shout, which published an open letter to the CEOs of five major payment processing companies in July, requesting them to “cease processing payments on gaming platforms which host rape, incest and child sexual abuse-themed games.”
In response to “scrutiny” from payment processors, itch.io de-indexed adult content from its browse and search pages, and updated its adult content guidelines, with an emphasis on adhering to its payment processor’s terms.
Similarly, Valve has removed a large number of NSFW games from Steam and tightened its guidelines on adult content.
But the IGDA says that “vague or overly cautious” enforcement of these new guidelines could see games that feature consensual adult content “easily targeted” and could force some developers into “silence or self-censorship,” particularly LGBTQ+ creators.
“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 said in its statement.
“Developers report games being delisted or hidden despite prior approval or longstanding presence on these platforms. 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.”
In its statement, the IGDA explains that recent policy changes due to payment processors mean that “financial institutions are now influencing which stories can be told and sold in games, with minimal transparency or public accountability.”
The organisation made it clear its support is for “developers creating consensual, lawful, and ethically-developed games,” and emphasised the issue is “a lack of proportionate, informed, and transparent enforcement.”
“Games, like any medium of artistic expression, can explore themes of intimacy, pleasure, trauma, or identity,” the IGDA said in its statement. “When created ethically and distributed legally, these works deserve to be evaluated fairly, transparently, and contextually, not swept aside due to stigma or third-party pressure.”