Steam and Itch.io -swept adult games: IGDA denounces censorship silent

The International Game Producers Association (IGDA) said it is concerned about the recent removal of adult games from digital platforms such as Steam and Itch.io. The association says that these decisions were made non -transparently, affecting legal and consensual games without notice or a clear explanation.

In late July 2025, ITCH.io hid or removed all games marked as NSFW (Not Safe for Work) from research results, claiming an internal audit to meet payment processor requirements such as Visa, MasterCard and Paypal. At the same time, Valve changed the Steam rules, which led to the withdrawal of the list of several problem -considering the new criteria required by these companies.

IGDA stated that the problem does not reside in the orientation itself, but the way they are being applied. Many creators denounced that their games were removed without explanation, although they present consensual and inclusive narratives or LGBT+themes. The Association said that many of these contents do not violate legal rules or the rules of the platforms themselves.

Part of the pressure will have come from campaigns led by organizations such as Australian NGO Collective Shout, which denounces content with themes such as incest, sexual violence and child abuse. These measures led payment processors to require more rigorous measures to the platforms, which may have led digital stores to make more widespread and less careful decisions.

Games such as consume me and Last Call were referred to as examples of titles affected by the new restrictions. Although they do not contain explicit sexual content, they were hidden from research results at ITCH.io because they address topics such as eating disorders and domestic violence, which raises questions about the criteria used in moderation.

Given this situation, IGDA defends greater clarity and responsibility in moderation decisions. The association proposed several recommendations: clear definition of the rules, transparent communication with creators, resource channel creation, inclusion of external experts in the review processes and publication of regular reports on the adopted measures.

In the independent production community, reactions have been intense. Several creators accuse payments processors to directly influence creative freedom through a kind of financial censorship. An online petition has already exceeded 150,000 signatures, requiring transparency in moderation practices and the reversal of some of the recent measures.

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