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itch.io's censorship of adult and erotic media is unacceptable.

A topic by contagonist created Jul 24, 2025 Views: 23,341 Replies: 127
Viewing posts 1 to 55
(+208)

To whom it may concern,

It has come to my attention that numerous works and projects of an adult nature have been summarily de-listed or outright removed from itch.io. While this does not affect me or my projects at present, this infringes on the rights and livelihoods of my fellow creators.

One can not help but view these delistings on the part of itch.io as but an act of blatant and unwarranted censorship, and a gutless concession to a fascist agenda. 

Itch.io, I am urging you to relist and restore adult content previously, rightfully hosted on this site.


-contagonist

(+124)

tldr: bring the dick and pussy back, you fucking cowards

(1 edit) (+3)

Sorry if I am jumble up the timeline here.

As was explained in leafo’s post here, it was “comply or die!” at the time.

And as was also pointed out there: “Once their reviewing process is complete, the dicks and pussies will return - as long as the respective artists fulfill the new compliance measures.” (This might not have been the exact phrasing. I’m taking some creative liberties here. ;3 )

(+20)

That's not actually what's happening. They are putting it all as unlisted and shadow banning it to remove it from the site. I doubt that there would any way or reason that they'd have to keep any adult content here unless we do something about it. Hoping that they only target the problematic content and leave everything alone is a naive point of view seeing as the goal is the neuter all adult content.

Deleted post

what is DLsite?Do you have a website?

(+24)

The "compliance measures" is censorship, that IS the problem being raised here.  They are kowtowing to fascism, and attacking LGBTQIA+ content, and sexuality generally.  This is an evil move in response to an evil move.  To fight fascism, you never concede to their demands.  Concession will never appease fascists, only teach them they can get away with their violence and hatred.  They will then try more violence and hatred.  It will never stop until everyone who isn't inside their politically advantageous in-group at the time is dead.

(+3)

Watch this video pretty much explains what happened

(+1)

First: Thank you for taking the time of digging out and sharing that video, ThrallZ. Due to my very agressive privacy setting I cannot access any Google servives while on itch.io, so I have not watched it at the time of writing.

I came across this article that teaches you how to shout back if you are using any of the services involved. That being said, said article is mostly aimed at people from the US and Canada. https://stop-paypros.neocities.org/

(+26)

Amen

Deleted post

if things get dire i might but rn we NEED itch back

Deleted 118 days ago
(1 edit) (+3)

oh no this big company is doing shitty things and im scard so im just gonna pretend none of this shits happening and cry in a corner, is that the reality u want me to face? cuz i get it ud rather pretend like this isnt an issue but it is we cant do nothing rn even if what we do doesnt change the outcome im not gonna sit around sucking my thumb asking what a good lil boy am i? like itch.io wants to do no thanks

Deleted 118 days ago

什么是 DLsite?你们有网站吗?

Deleted 118 days ago

Japan website?

Deleted 118 days ago
(+15)

To be honest it is not Itch. io fault , if ya want to blame someone blame to payment processors like visa or mastercard .... they strongarmed  itch. io into shadowbanning the nsfw and others ... 

Deleted 99 days ago
(+11)

You're right that the situation itself isn't the fault of itch however their utterly pathetic handling of it absolutely is and all the anger and frustration being dumped on them is entirely warranted right now. I personally wont accept anything less than a clear and direct stance against censorship from the company before I even consider ever spending another cent here.

(2 edits) (+7)

Unfortunately they have little choice, a gamer boycott is meaningless vs losing their payment processor. Even if a boycott results in 99% loss of revenue, losing a payment processor is 100% lost revenue. They could fight but lose their revenue and be fighting for nothing, people should be against the MasterCard/visa duopoly controlling everything. They received an ultimatum to lose payment processing which would result in ALL games not being able to profit.

(+12)

I'm aware of that. It's that they aren't even trying to argue it or anything. They just rolled over and showed their yellow belly like spineless cowards. For a platform based on independence for creatives I find that entirely unacceptable. If they can't even be assed to at least speak out about being forced to make this decision then how could I possibly still want to support them?

(1 edit) (+5)

Steam backs down to payment processors, government agencies would even back down to payment processors. It is really unfortunate but they have nothing to argue about they would just be screaming in the air and likely cause their entire platform to be demonetized impacting so many more people. Payment processors just have an absolute grip on people, only MAJOR change to laws or breaking up the duopoly would help and those things will take years even if on the right track. Being mad at itchio is almost like blaming the victim, I know they caused other victims but if they hadn't agreed and argued there would be so many more victims.

(+7)

"They would just be screaming in the air,' What a joke. Regardless of them having no real choice but to comply they could still stand with affected creators in solidarity and make a public stance denouncing censorship. That would at least show that they care about any of this. But they couldn't even be bothered to do that much. At the end of the day itch is a corporate entity, they don't get to play the woeful victim card. They are responsible for how they've handled this situation and they are going to continue to get dragged for it for a damn long time. Regardless of how preciously you wish to defend them it does not change that.

(5 edits) (+4)

I don't care about sentiment, that's one step from virtue signaling. If they did that people would just be mad that they are saying they denounce censorship but then do things that censor content. Screaming into the air absolutely, only actions matter my point was to take action against the perpetrator and not be focused on itch specially or steam specifically. If you think I'm defending itch you seriously misunderstand, I'm hoping to direct the blame were it actually belongs Visa and MasterCard. They don't even need to pit users vs storefronts, the users are getting mad while Visa and MasterCard use their monopoly to dictate what content a platform is allowed to show. I'm against misplacing blame, whether it's steam, itch, epic. The same think happened with people blaming epic for fortnite removal were the real problem was the ridiculous fees and monopoly of play store and app store.


Support initiatives like the change campaign posted

Instead of boycotting a storefront that has their control over content taken over by payment processors.

Deleted 120 days ago

Nice strawman totally ignoring the reality of the situation. Look at the situation from the hub, WikiLeaks, mangalibraryz, steam, dl-site (who tried and failed to fight payment processors,) Surugaya, patreon, only fans (who hilariously thought they could remove adult content to solve the problem) and so many other sites that have been pushed around by payment processors. I know you won't since you'd rather just get mad at something on face value, ignore the facts, and try to strawman. Though you'll likely say tldr or WOW so must effort based on your attitude but if anyone else sees these examples, understand itchio is just another example of payment processors deciding what we can buy.

Moderator(+1)

Hardly the same situation.

(+7)

Well, they wanna blame another company, blame Collective Shout, they  are a religious organisation, they are responsible for the payment processors to censor media, as they also tried to ban Detroit Become Human, as well as to ban GTA 5 in Australia

(1 edit)

Without a doubt 100% agree and they will continue to weaponize payment processors since they know it works. We can't do much outside of riot against collective shout though, deweaponizing them by changing the power payment processors have with regulation is what we can strive to do.

(+1)

If we don't stop this, who's to say that they wouldn't extend the removal to other mature games and many others and try to make Steam and itch.io sell only Christian games, plus it's a pot calling the kettle black, stating that they are doing it for children's safety even though they have defended Netflix's abomination of mankind cuties.

(+37)

NO IT IS THEIR FAULT THEY MADE THE CHOICE NO ONE FORCED THEM TO DO THIS!!! YOU DON'T GET TO DEFEND THEM ON THIS ONE WE WILL TAKE ACTION ON THIS ONE WAY OR ANOUTHER THIS SITE WILL BE UNDER BETTER MANAGEMENT OR BE REPLCED/ SHUT DOWN THEY HAVE CROSSED THE LINE AND IT IS TIME FOR ALL OUT WAR!!!

(+35)

AND DON'T START THAT STRONG ARM BULLSHIT WITH THE SHADOW BANNING EVEN STEAM GAVE WARNING AND COMPENSATION THIS IS AN OUT RIGHT COWARDLY PREEMTIVE ATTACK ON PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS SITE WHAT IT IS AND THE WHOLE SITE WILL PAY FOR IT!!!

(+22)

Look, I'm not saying Itch is completely blameless here BUT we should recognise that it's the payment processors that are really causing the problems here. While Itch should receive complaints, the processors should receive a lot, lot more.

(+5)

If your father sells you to Jeffery Epstein, which man are you more angry at?

(1 edit) (+4)

Jeffery Epstein.

My father is a person who has his circumstances and who provided for me during childhood and young adulthood. Jeffrey Epstein had no one forcing him to be monstrous.

You made a good point there. :)

(+2)

No wonder you're still a virgin.

(+2)

That you think these things are in any way related is why you are struggling to connect with anyone in your class.

That you think that was an acceptable reply (or even a “comeback”) to somebody who disagreed with you is why you are struggling to connect with anyone online.

“I also love how you completely ignored what I actually wrote and failed to explain your own reasoning at the same time. I am sure you are fun both at parties as well as a values teammate in any kind of collaborative game.”

I probably could have written something far more mean-spirite. Maybe reflect on why I didn’t.

(1 edit)

Personally, if I had a child, I would prefer to die than to sell my child to anyone, whatever the circumstances may be.
Yet of course the hate for Jeffery Epstein would also be here, but less for the purchase than what he does after.

Regardless, as you pointed out in your other comment, those two cases have nothing in common and this comparison is horrendous.

(+18)

I'm just here to throw my voice on the pile. This is unacceptable.

(+23)

Agreed. Shame on itch.io for bending over like this. 

(+24)

honestly there is no way to know what is next. The group who led the removal of steam nsfw (Collective Shutout) is now targeting Detroit Become Human. They are a far right Christian group hiding behind "protect women"

(+21)

If you are reading this then a good way to get back at Visa and Master Card would be to swap your accounts over and get cards with different companies. If enough people switch over then it will hurt Visa and Master Card. Show them that WE WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY FORM OF CENSORSHIP!

(+10)

This is insanity.  Fuck Collective Shout.  Its not itch.io's fault, their main payment processors gave them an ultimatum, and Visa and Master Card are being stupid, but also all of my cards with many dollars owed are from those, so I am not going to be able to simply swap.

(3 edits) (+6)

If your father sells you to Jeffery Epstein, which man are you more angry at?

There was no warning, no communication. Thousands of creators are having their ability to pay their rent and healthcare and grocery bill weakened.

Better to take the whole site down in solidarity than to capitulate to fascist fucks. If you give them an arm, they also take a leg. They don't stop until you and everything you love is dead.

(+4)

Itchio was given no warning and immediate ultimatum. Steam has just added a policy that games must comply with payment processor policy.

This situation isn't fascism this isn't the government, it's an unregulated monopoly payment processor market, what we need is regulation. Regulation isn't made by some storefronts going under for standing in solidarity, it's a lengthy process through law.

(1 edit) (+1)

Holy false equivalence batman

A better example would be "If Jeffrey Epstein forced your father to sell you to him, by threatening to murder your entire family, which man are you more angry at?" and that would still be false equivalence since we're not talking about slavery, SA or murder at all. And I would still go with Epstein, btw.

If itch took down their entire site, way more creators would be affected by this. Changing payment processors would probably not be a great solution either, since it would probably mean higher fees which would be less revenue for itch or the creators.
And then we're not even talking about loss of sales due to people not having their preferred checkout-method. And the very high probability that Collective Shout will also go after these new payment processors.

Yes, itch could've acquiesced with the demand and still spoken out about it firmly, and pointing people in a direction for action against this BS. But Collective Shout are still ultimately to blame, together with our current systems allowing this loophole they've found. We need to make our politicians aware that we find this unacceptable, and that payment processors should not be allowed to dictate stuff like this. Start local initiatives where you live, and spread the word.
If in the US, I've heard you can look up the "Fair Access to Banking Act", also called "Bill s.401". That's a good start.
There's also a petition, https://www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-w...

(+18)

Stop bending the knee to powerless reactionaries. They can't actually do anything but scream and yell. Stop being spineless. Band together. What do you think will happen if platforms just collectively told payment processors "No"? Do you think they'd cut ties and let millions in revenue slip? No, they'd drop the issue.

(+2)

Payment processors would laugh then keep collecting their rates from the other 99.99% of business. Games is a big industry but compared to all business is still a drop in the water, forget adult games or games that are being censored like ready or not or Detroit become human, they might as well be equal to the people getting mad on this thread. Meaningless in the grand scheme of things for payment processors.

(+5)

Why do you want us to care about what fascist fucks think?

Grow a backbone. If some must suffer, we all suffer together. Take the entire site down.

(+3)

What squirtlel said. As of right now a few internet people who play games for adults/“perverts” do not have the power to do anything other than watch their favorite game devs struggle to make a living somehow.

I would also make the wild claim that the average itch.io-user (just like the average “gamer”) has little to no awareness of the important things that are going on in the world around them until and unless actively informed by a well-worded individual in a visible position who can convey what happened and why this is a bad omen for consumers.

Case in point: I heard about this on Newgrounds before I had a look at the itch.io-forums. ( I have a backlog of hundreds of video games. What do you want from me…? :/ )

(+13)

if this doesn't get reversed in some way, we should delete our accounts and start pressuring google to blacklist the whole site over their horribly enacted censorship

(+8)

Visa, Mastercard, and Paypal are all public companies. They only have a duty to provide value to their shareholders. Buy their stocks and then sue them the next time they do this. (I am not a lawyer, do not take legal advice from me.) It is fucking disgusting that you all did this cowardly shit. Say no. Take them to court. Make them prove how it provides value to their shareholders.

(1 edit) (+14)

What the HELL Itch.io you are a place for Indie devs of all kinds to use to post share and play all kinds of games with one another why have you done this? this censorship is harmful to the very community that uses your site i cant sit here and let this site that i love so much turn into a place that yields to those who seek control over gay and queer individuals right to create, and express themselves while also getting an income from it, your censorship is a huge slap in the face to the very people who use your site and i cant believe youd actually do this


edit: hey guys there are more pages of comments its hard to tell but make sure u check out the other pages as ive seen some pretty important information in them such as: https://chng.it/PmG8VqqDyh 
a link to a partition to help fight this stupid censorship

(1 edit) (+17)

Not being able to download games we bought before and not being able to get refunds is just stealing from your customers. Just scum behavior if you even delete the games from our libraries and act like they never existed. A sign to avoid this platform in the future for lack of support in general.

(+1)

Please don't spread the misinformation that there won't be refunds, they are already thinking about them: https://itch.io/t/5121050/refunds-for-those-that-purchased-nsfw-games#post-13450...

(1 edit) (+10)

Its not like this is the first time that they removed games without refunding users, Its not misinformation if i speak from experience. Its just now on a larger scale so more complains which might result in different actions from itch.io to save some face.

(+19)

Just adding my voice to the calls for Itch.io to reverse this appalling decision.

While the driving force is the payment processing companies, it is still down to Itch to take a stand against censorship and in favour of adult content. Ideally, other platforms with a bigger market share (*cough*Steam*cough*) would have done so already, but someone has to, and Itch - a platform for indie and solo developers, who often explore gender, sexuality and other "adult" themes in their works - is not fit for purpose if it won't any longer take that stand and fight back against puritanical organisations trying to restrict human expression.

(+1)

I hate censorship but you misunderstand the impact of fighting against payment processors. Every game creator on this site would be without income for YEARS of court battles, the site would have no revenue to sustain itself and be spending millions in court, it could easily bankrupt itself trying to fight payment processors unless it plans to go all crypto which would remove 99% of sales anyway since crypto isn't wildly adopted.

(+9)

Then so be it.

Go read the Wikipedia article on "solidarity" while you're out of a job.

You're right the whole site should go down, no one has a job or games while fighting with payment processors which will result in nothing unless major regulations are implemented. Which I support but understand won't happen for years even if multiple storefronts took up the fight. We should instead virtue signal solidarity and ignore reality and it's reprecussions.

(+1)

I would like to point out that both dev's and the site are already going to take a hit to revenue as the refunds are going to kill revenue and the dev's that just had games get fucking nuked are also going to be fucked over. the best option would have been to stop all transaction and hide the games like steam does when a game is removed for the store page. this would allow those that had owned the game could still enjoy it, while not taking a side and becoming a part of the problem.

the thing is I don't know of anyone who came forth with visual proof that their game download pages were now empty or inaccessible, while I have seen several people come forth with screenshots that they can still download their games that were de-indexed or removed from the store.

(+1)

Part of this review will see some pages being permanently removed from itch.io. Affected accounts will be notified via their account’s email address from our support address. You can reply to that email if you have any follow up questions. bro this is IN THE UPDATE POST and here is a post of someone that is having this problem https://itch.io/t/5122288/this-is-unfair#post-13466644  

and at the bottom of this post https://itch.io/t/5121050/refunds-for-those-that-purchased-nsfw-games#post-13450...

it took me less then 5 minutes to find these 2 post

I am more so wondering on the end of the consumer rather than the creator.

the second link at the bottom of that post is someone trying to download a game they have?

(+1)

Pfft. Easy. Try looking at my game page.

Deleted 118 days ago
(+23)

this whole business is making me consider never using Itch again. i’m working on an erotic queer game. How do i know i’ll even be able to fucking sell it on a site that people trust for that kind of content? Absolute shame on you.

(+19)

Exactly, they've shown the future of this site isn't a safe place for some of us. If they bent once they WILL again. We all know this doesn't end at NSFW games. They (the fundamentalist group that started this) hate anything they deem "inappropriate" and that includes LGBTQ+ representation in any form

(+10)

One of the games that group is targeting is Detroit: Become Human apparently, i don’t like that game at all but i think that says everything about what they want. 

(+8)

I guess this is a right wing platform now. We should build something new and better.

(+5)

Especially when they panic and start pulling wires rather than summon their legal team for advice and alert all creators and fans for full transparency in advance.

Not only have they shown themselves to be repulsively skittish, but also it's clear they see themselves as master, making thousands of life-altering decisions on our behalf; technocrats are trash.

(+23)

How can I trust that something I buy in the future won't suddenly disappear because some extremist group decides to make a few phone cards to mastercard and get them to tell itch that it's "against their policies"?

What protections is itch going to put in place for its customers?

And what about paying the people who make the art we love!? Rent is coming up soon! Are you telling us that the people who create what gives us joy deserve to potentially end up homeless or dead despite our support just because some lying SWERFs did a phone bank!?

(+16)

EXACTLY.

There is absolutely no way I'd ever buy anything from Itch ever again after this, because I don't know if I'll continue to have access to what I paid for. Same reason I don't have a Kindle or use Spotify.

(+8)

itch needs to post an "our values" next to their QandAs, so we have a heads up concerning just how cowardly and virgin-energy their site is.

im reaching out to discord itch game group owners and bringing this up to them in hopes they bring more attention to this tho im not sure if i should bother them with this either way i hope im not stressing them out over this

(+3)

Everyone, sign this petition if you want to see change:

https://chng.it/TDzjnxX6fm

It's all about this very issue, we need to show these guys we aren't going to bow to them!

(+1)

anyone know where i can go to yell at itch, visa, and or collective shout for this?

(+10)

What is most infuriating to me is I'm seeing devs on Bluesky showing screenshots of denied payouts because of the sudden ban of their game, that they had no warning for. These people need to pay rent, to buy food, some need to buy medication. Some people make a lot on Itch, and then to just have their payouts denied because of a sudden rule change that there was no heads up for? Itch is deplorable. And I'm seeing people who are getting shadowbanned who don't have any NSFW content at all, just LGBTQ+ content that's completely SFW. Itch is cooked.

(+3)

I'm a long time user of itch io. If itch is going to bend the knee to these payment processors and not even try to fight back. You're losing a long time customer. Censorship is never acceptable, unless it's straight up illegal. I'll take my money elsewhere.

(+1)

Steam bent the knee as well. So you no longer support Steam as well right?

(+5)

There is a template circulating around on X in case some of you all want to reuse it: 

"Dear itch.io team,

I’m writing as a long-time supporter of itch.io and of the vibrant, experimental, and deeply personal work that has flourished on your platform — especially from queer, trans, and marginalized creators whose games may not have found a home elsewhere.

It is with deep concern that I’ve learned about the recent measures to de-index or restrict access to NSFW games on the platform. While I understand that these actions may stem from external pressures—particularly from payment processors— I believe this approach risks undermining the very spirit of creative independence that itch.io has long represented.

Historically, itch.io has been one of the few truly open spaces for boundary-pushing, community-driven work in gaming. Many queer developers have used the platform not just to distribute their games, but to explore identity, intimacy, and survival in ways that mainstream platforms actively suppress. By restricting access to adult content, especially without transparent dialogue or alternative avenues, itch.io inadvertently echoes the censorship and erasure these creators already face elsewhere.

Rather than adopting a blanket de-indexing policy, I urge you to consider more nuanced solutions that preserve your payment infrastructure without compromising on your core values:

  • Categorization tools: Implement or enhance robust tagging and filtering systems that give users clear control over what they see, while keeping adult content discoverable to those who seek it out.
  • Opt-in visibility: Like many other web platforms that have had to deal with the pressure of card processors, let creators mark their content appropriately and allow users to opt into viewing NSFW material, ensuring compliance without erasure.
  • Payment processor segmentation: Explore separate processing flows or alternative payment options. 
  • Public advocacy and transparency: Communicate openly with your community about the nature of the pressure you’re facing and invite public support. Many of us are willing to stand in solidarity with you if we know what’s at stake.

In this current political climate—where queer art is increasingly under attack—platforms like itch.io play an essential role. I sincerely hope you will reconsider this course of action and reaffirm your commitment to the creative communities that helped make itch.io what it is today."

(+5)

everyone should sign this petition to fight back!

www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-what-we-c...

(+2)

Even if in the intent of self preservation they can't just restore the pages, at least moving them to a separate domain so creators could have a chance to setup a donation link of some sorts would show some  concern for their wellbeing instead of this whole delisting situation.

(+6)

When visa and other payment processors wield far too much market share power and can bully platforms to take away consumer choice.

Ain't capitalism great? 

Profit is the point, not us. Never us.

Sure, you can reduce the issue to something as simple as 'let us have our porn you censor happy, greedy, cowardly fucks!', but it's not necessarily about that. Well, not 'just' that, bc it partly is, let's not get things twisted.

But the real issue is, like I said above, outside entities who have no business other than to literally process payments for the consumer, who, in theory, should be the ones in charge, dictating what's on the market and what choices consumers can make about it.  

I mean, you also have morally 'holier than thou' 'activists' too, but... let's be real. Self harm is something humans LOVE before wondering why they're bleeding so bad even as they keep hurting themselves.

You'd think ppl would've learned that fiction is fiction and is perfectly healthy and a good way to keep ppl from doing the crazy shit weirdos are forever screaming about... but... we never fucking learn... Or rather, we have the collective attention span of goldfish and can rationalize anything to avoid taking accountability or blame something else. 

Itch doesn't care about its customers or creators, at least not more than its own hide. It's that simple.

It'll keep sucking off visa with a smile on its face  until its stomach gets inflated before asking 'please sir, can I have some more?'

(+2)

bullshit

(+5)

I am a game developer and I plan to put my game on itch.io. However, in this situation, I have to think about whether I should open my own game store and support Bitcoin payment and other transactions. Should I stop developing the game for a while? PS. Sorry for my English because it is not my native language.

(+2)

I wouldn't stop developing your game, you can't let the moment stop a long term goal. I would still post to itch and run your own game store if/when possible. Unless your game is adult themed it is almost never going to be taken down don't let fear mongering deter your goal. This is unfortunate times due to groups like collective shout and the control payment processors have over everyone, itchio is just as weak to their whims as the users to the policies itchio has to put in place now. But yeah if you can avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.

(+3)

They are all guilty. Shame on Itch io, shame on the payment processers!

(1 edit) (+1)

The question is. Is there any like "official petition" somewhere ? Outside of boycotting itch it's not like we have a real way of attacking mastercard and most payment methods... Or maybe we do ? I should look into it to see if I can boycott the payment methods in some way. It'll be abyssmaly small for them even if we all were to stop using them but a step in the right direction is a step I guess...

Fuck... art can never take a break can it...

(+2)

Boycotting itchio empowers groups like collective shout even more, you show that them weaponizing payment processors can take down any storefront they deem to have content they don't see as appropriate.


Unfortunately going after payment processors is hard, it will take major law changes to break up the duology or create restrictions to what payments they must accept or having another big contender like crypto which I'm not a big fan of but does eliminate the control the big payment processors have over what people are allowed to buy.

(1 edit) (+1)

Yeah I agree. Itch is in a tough spot they most likely are mad to be in too hence why it was a better idea to go look upward in the chain of problems. I wasn't trying to imply boycotting Itch would be a good idea; quite the contrary. Crypto is not a go too I'd enjoy either... Found this link to petitions that allready has quite a few participants.
Here is the link for thoses that missed it.
https://stop-paypros.neocities.org/

(+1)

We need to go after Collective Shout and the payment processors in this case. They're overstepping here, not the storefronts. Steam and itch can't really do much if the threat is "do this or you can't sell anything on your platform anymore", other than pivot to crypto which the vast majority of customers are not gonna do.

In the US, there's the "Fair Access to Banking Act".
There's also this petition which everyone can sign: https://www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-w..

(+2)

Uugh.. 

I'll just leave it here, OK? 

https://chng.it/nLSfhRzHTM

Pls, join and fight 👍

If you know other petitions, pls share, so we could support them too

(+2)

Here's a link with two specifics to the US and one for Canada.
https://stop-paypros.neocities.org/ 

(+1)

Oh, thank you very much! 😁

(+1)

i want to know whether leafo's boyfriend simulator is nsfw or whether he's gling to just target trans creators only

(+2)

i think its time to abandon this site and go else where.  Same with steam, soon as they start loosing money they might be willing to fight.

(+7)

Protecting the majority by smothering the minority in the name of nothing but money. Itchio has come a long long way from what it used to mean, and I couldn't mean that in a worse way. I'll absolutely not be doing any transactions on the platform without a restoration of this deeply disturbing moral policing.

Shadow banned: Free Pass 2 by After Choices

Removed: Free Pass by After Choices

(+1)

have you heard from users who cannot access the game downloads anymore who purchased either game?

I haven’t heard back from them yet.

(+1)

I apologize for bothering you.

Do you have any alternative page/site where those who purchased Free Pass are able to re-download.

(1 edit)

Thanks for reaching out, and sorry for the inconvenience.

🔗 https://www.patreon.com/afterchoices

Like you, I'm still waiting to hear back from itch.io. It’s really unfair to be taken down overnight without warning.

(+1)

Thank you.

With all this hub-bub I can't imagine what you're going through.

(+4)

I can sympathize with itch.io that they are in a uncomfortable position and a victim of disgusting religious zealot culture warriors. However, the lack of adequate communication on social media about the situation is not acceptable - and it is alarming that in the few communications itch.io has put out, it has not pushed back against the injustice of this, relayed sympathy with the artists and devs affected by this pressure campaign, and committed to doing all it legally can to resist the Puritan bigots that are attacking this website and its users.

(+4)

Why is itch bending like a good boy to that shit??? They didn't even tried fight back what an embarrassement that you don't even fight for your own side


 And why the damn are random religious NPCs sticking their nose always everywhere thinking what they do is always the right thing even when it's not their damn business I'm so sick of this shit I can't even enjoy fucking gooner games. 


Those Mfs can't even keep up to their own rules from their own Religion but freaking judge me and take that joy away when I enjoy some meat clapping with 2D people when in reality theirselves and their fucking Sons and daughters etc. are way worse in real life then any shit I saw in fiction 

Damit fix this shit itch 

(+1)

this is so based

(+10)

As a game developer who is working on a very clearly adult game (No porn, no explicit sexual content)  that contains profanity, numerous horror elements, fantasy drinking, gambling, kidnapping, implied torture, character death and many other adult situations, I see that I will not be able to post it here now, once the demo is ready. Which is a damn shame, because adult content goes far beyond explicit sex and broadly encompasses anything that could be considered psychological, horror, or simply not being of a child-friendly nature. We do not live during the prohibition,  this is fucking Orwellian. There's not a damn thing wrong with porn, sex, horror, or sensitive topics that might offend certain individuals. This kind of censorship is beyond gross and entirely uncalled-for. I don't give  a shit if it's Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, PayPal, Skrill, Moneybookers, or any other payment processor that's being a pussy. It's because Collective Shout might as well drag everyone back to the fucking Crusades, or decide that women cannot flash an ankle in a game without someone catching the vapors. Shit like this needs to stop immediately.

(+7)

I have a question for the Itch management.

As far as I can see the payment systems' demand was either unofficial, or the notification protocol was violated. In both cases, the actions of the payment systems should be regarded as pressure from a monopolist in matters that are not within their competence (+ many other violations).

I assume that a tactical decision to urgently deindex makes sense, but only if you want to buy time and turn the situation in your favor. But I see the removal of games, from which I draw a very sad conclusion.

In addition, Itch has always positioned itself not as a store, but as a community. Maybe these are just beautiful words and marketing populism to lure the audience. So tell me, if we are a community, then maybe it's worth it for the Itch management to go for an international court with сollective appeal? We as a community, with our religious and cultural preferences, do not want to be interfered with and forced to give up our identity. This is a matter of our survival as a community. And, by the way, a very tolerant community, where individuals, creators and ppls fantasies are respected. This is our religion. And we are free people who have the right to do so. And we also have the right to be protected.

I want to see a transparent answer from Itch: Is this just a store, or are we a community after all? And if it's about community, then provide a link to sign a сollective appeal to the court. I think we are ready to defend our ideals.

Trust has definitely been undermined, and it will take years to justify today's mockery of creators. And fighting in court will be difficult, but it's worth it. Because this will define what Itch is for.

I want to add a few more emotional words. I was truly shocked by these events. I consider myself a progressive person, and these activists with incomprehensible and alien morality from the country of far away past years want to turn the sexual revolution back. Where is their tolerance for other people's work, for other people's feelings and even fantasies. FANTASY! Damn, these people are simply at the level of monkeys in terms of understanding the line between reality and fantasy. What can we talk about next? Ban entry to itch from Australia if such untolerant people live there. No Australian = no problem, mb? 

I also want to talk about the consequences. Maybe someone has heard of social psychology and the like.. Well, it took more than 15 years to bring the gaming porn industry out of the darknet and pirate sites. People just began to believe that they can not be ashamed of their sexual desires. To have comfort in selling and buying like all normal ppl do. Just gave up pirate sites who simply steal developers content, hack into the code, make changes to  intellectual property at their discretion, and distribute it (and sometimes even profit from it by selling or collecting donations for publication). And returning to these conditions again is terrible. Developers will be unprotected again. Itch, you gave us hope with your sermons about the community, and now we have this...

I really want to be heard and properly explained whether my hopes were not in vain.

(1 edit) (+1)

The removal of games is unfortunate, but I have not seen any concrete evidence that people have lost access to their purchased content. To the contrary, several people have shown me screenshots of accessible downloads of removed games from the platform. Even a few creators have acknowledged that the deindexed games are still purchaseable, and those games removed can still be installed if you had purchased the game. https://x.com/letsmaybeLP92/status/1948544883410829370 This thread shows that banned/removed games from this purge still have download files, while creators can and have removed files on their own accord in the past.

(+2)

This feels exactly like the '90s all over again when the media wouldn't STFU about how "violence in video games is harmful to children". Also similar to the situation in the '80s when Tipper Gore (Al Gore's wife) and the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) went in front of Congress and convinced record labels to slap those idiotic "Parental Advisory Explicit Content" labels on album covers. If something is offensive but not illegal, it should be allowed to be accessed. Do I like the content that was in games like "No Mercy"? No, but it isn't illegal to depict these actions in a fictional manner. Let the market decide what is and isn't acceptable, not companies, ESPECIALLY those that are having ever-increasing control over our daily lives due to us not relying on cash transactions anymore. 

(+2)

lmao, this is one of the reasons I liked itch a lot. Now they removed the thing I liked about it. Big L

Btw before all starts talking about VISA and Mastercard and Paypal having a monopoly. The only reason they have a monopoly is because of KYC and AML that the GOVERNMENT has mandated. So they would NOT have a monopoly if it was not for the government. This is all big governments fault. Please don't ask for more regulation, we need less and we would not have this problem. 

(+3)

So itch is dead. I found this place a month ago looking for alternative games since "official" games just want money in exchange for giving us garbage. What a shame. Rest in peace itch.

(+1)

wait whappen tag hentai and nsfw and eroge to how i cant find the game

Only direct link if the game wasn't dellited totally. 

(+1)

I don't see this issue resolving in a way that would make the gamers happy. Itch should say fuck you to payment processors and start accepting crypto.

Itch.io isn't obligated to offer anyone a platform; no one has any inherent right to upload whatever content they want onto itch.io. I interpret the intended message to refer to ability, I just tend to be easily irritated when ideas of "rights" and "censorship" are mentioned erroneously.

This isn't so much the fault of itch.io as much as it is payment processors and the lobbyists pressuring them to punish entities for transacting in a "problematic" manner. If anything, this is where rights and censorship should be a concern. If an artist is commissioned by a customer to draw pornographic content, and the two exchange product and payment and respect each other throughout the transaction, there is no issue and it's not the intermediaries' business so long as it isn't actively breaking any moral or legal boundary.
The difference between itch.io deciding something is not acceptable to host, and a payment processor blocking transactions they deem unacceptable, is the fact that unlike itch.io, said payment processors have effectively monopolized all ability to digitally exchange value, whereas you have many other options for distributing your art besides itch.io; when they dictate what transactions are considered acceptable, they in essence can make any transactions they don't like "illegal" despite not technically having the authority to enforce any law.
Capitalism fucking sucks, reason #99999...

And no, cryptocurrency is not a solution and anyone attempting to entertain the idea of using it should be laughed out of the room.

(+2)

>cryptocurrency is not a solution
care to elaborate or are you just going to use phrases you saw on the internet?

>itch.io isnt obligated to offer anyone a platform
literally no one opposes this. who are you arguing against? they are forced to remove the content you know?

>capitalism fucking sucks
yes it fucking sucks when you don't want to explore other options of payment. 

tell me, why itch.io isn't obligated to offer anyone a platform but visa and mastercard have to let everybody make use of their product?

(2 edits) (+1)

Update: https://itch.io/docs/creators/faq#is-adult-content-allowed

Well.. 🤔 hm.. it's total *******😒

____________________________

The following is a non-exhaustive list of prohibited themes present in card processing networks. We are unable to support the sale of any works containing these topics:

  • Non-consensual content (real or implied)
  • Underage or “barely legal” themes
  • Incest or pseudo-incest content
  • Bestiality or animal-related
  • Rape, coercion, or force-related
  • Sex trafficking implications
  • Revenge porn / voyeur / hidden cam
  • Fetish involving bodily waste or extreme harm (e.g., “scat,” “vomit”)

____________________________

... we have.. what we have 😔

Farewell furries, horse dildos and sexy stepmothers..  RIP

(+4)

So art can't talk about the wide-spread problem of sexual abuse anymore? That seems like a deathblow.

(+2)

I guess, they do not see art in games. It is just a.. well.. product.. for them

(1 edit) (+3)

So basically, no Greek Mythological games that stays accurate to the mythology, for example.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hera

its one thing to remove sexual material depicting kids, yet another to remove fictional content depicting adults.  

In a sidenote, things get quite funny when Itch bans content that are still up on GoG/Steam.  

(+1)

yep, no mythology / we should tell them about this shit in our educational program

yeh, funny...

Try these: https://action.aclu.org/petition/mastercard-sex-work-work-end-your-unjust-policy https://www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-w...

And other posts seem to be listing mastercard phone numbers to call, I wouldn't know if these numbers are accurate but that might be worth a try as well.

(+2)

Would itch consider switching to a different payment processor? While companies like Stripe are the biggest, there are many others out there that came about after censorship groups pressured payment processors into going after others in the past, e.g., electronic repair communities, and communities developing 3rd party schematics. 

Given how much more effective these censorship companies are becoming, my may be best to just move to a payment processor whose business model is to never ban any legal content. If itch sticks with their current payment processor, they will only continue to gradually censor more content and this situation will become a regularly occurring event. 

(+4)

While the delisting of adult games doesn’t directly affect any of my current itch.io projects, it sets a disastrous and worrying precedent. If games can be removed from itch.io without warning because a far-right puritan group and a couple of payment processors applied pressure, then every game is in potential danger. This is censorship of art and is an attack on the livelihoods of itch.io’s creators. And there’s no reason to think that the far-right group would stop here. Games with LGBT themes, or swear words, or political satire, could easily be the next targets.

I urge itch.io to relist the games and to not cave to the pressure of far-right groups and payment processors. Payment processors should not be in the business of censorship; their purpose is to process payments.

If you have the time, contact the payment processors and let them know your opinion on their censorship. If you’re in America, contact Mastercard with this link and contact Visa with this link.

– Mt. Penguin Monster

(1 edit) (+4)

In these cases, it is not the main credit card companies that are causing these issue, instead, it is mainly the back end payment processors who will facilitate a credit card transaction. For example, Stripe has a history of dropping many people, including numerous content creators, artists, and various donationware companies, e.g., electronics companies like Apple, pressuring a payment processor to ban a developer who is using them to accept donations for a board view applications tailored to 3rd party repair of products made by those companies. Since nothing they are doing is illegal, they can't get the software banned, thus they go after income sources instead.

Anyway what collective shout did is just the beginning, and given how fast steam and itch gave in, they will now double down. Bit by bit they will chip away at what content in allowed, until itch will ban everything more violent than Mario Cart.

Keep in mind that collective shout tried to use a different method to get the game Detroit: Become Human banned, though that was before they utilized the payment processor route. 
The censorship groups of the past that tried to ban things like Dungeons And Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and many other things,never fully disappeared, and the success of collective shout, will effectively give them all a roadmap to exploit. 

If there is no resistance to this, then eventually every prude will effectively have veto authority on all content on itch, steam, and many other platforms.

هذا هراء لمذا تحذفون المحتوى الذي يلجأ اليه الهواة  الذي هو ارقى من العاهرات في المواقع الاباحية التي بينما تحذفون الالعاب الاباحية هذا جنون وانتم ضد حريات الشباب انتم تقتلون الشباب في كل مكان

(+7)

To be quite honest even if the current state of affairs is rectified I'll be skeptical of using Itch as a platform going forward. The lack of transparency with the people who make the website worth using and the willingness to hold their livelihoods in limbo for imagined violations invented to suit payment processors shows which side Itch is on. Even if their hands were fully tied, there's a certain  degree of dignity they could have afforded people, and they haven't put in the work.

I think the point of them being more vague also allowed for NSFW/questionable content games to be able to come to Itch.io in the first place. Valve/Steam has been much more transparent per se, but also stricter on adult games (until very recently). But they also have that age verification measure, which I am not sure if itch.io has properly implemented sitewide. If someone like Valve/Steam has to mass delist games to comply, itch.io would have been suicidal to act like the hero for NSFW content

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