Valve point to Mastercard restrictions as the payment firm deny influencing adult game removals
1 min read
Summary
Mastercard has denied accusations that it pressured Steam and Itch.io to remove adult games, with the company stating that it has not evaluated any games or required restrictions on game creation sites.
Valve has stated that they received pressure from Mastercard payment processors, who invoked a Mastercard rule that prohibits transactions that may damage the brand.
This rule doesn’t require the game to be illegal, just that its sale may reflect negatively on the Mastercard brand.
Since the censorship of adult games on Steam and Itch, both platforms have faced criticism, with many claiming that this also affects LGBTQ+ and other non-sexual titles.
Itch.io has relisted previously removed games and is searching for alternative payment processors who are less restrictive.
