itch.io

Hey leafo,

Thanks for the reply.

Apologies that there was erroneous information in my original message. As you pointed out, it was written by ChatGPT and I didn't review or verify the contents at all, so that is to be expected.

Rest assured, I have written this reply by hand.

This was out of jadedness at the current state of the Internet; I don't feel good about contributing to the AI spam, but in order to best direct my energy and efforts, I give back the same energy I receive.

Your handwritten reply alone tells me me everything I need to know, as opposed to Steam which does not even have a public support email to submit inquiries to. They continue to send me cookie-cutter replies through the internal support tickets I have filed.

Stay human,

Dear Itch.io Support Team / Leaf Corcoran,

I hope this message finds you well.

I am writing as a concerned supporter and user of your platform, and as someone deeply committed to creative freedom, LGBTQ+ visibility, and the indie gaming ecosystem. I’d like to open this conversation not with accusation, but with a plea: help me understand.

What happened?
On July 24, 2025, you announced that all NSFW adult content has been “deindexed” from browse and search pages due to pressure from payment processors like Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and PayPal, following lobbying by the group Collective Shout WIRED+13itch.io+13Wikipedia+13.

<span class="relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out" <the="" stated="" purpose="" was="" to="" preserve="" your="" payment="" infrastructure="" and="" avoid="" platform-wide="" disruption.="" however,="" in="" practice,="" this="" effort="" appears="" have <em="">swept up thousands of unrelated works, including many LGBTQ+-tagged and SFW games/comics</span> >span class="" data-state="closed">The Verge.

Why this matters:

• Disproportionate impact on LGBTQ+ creators: Multiple sources report that even works tagged as LGBTQ and SFW were flagged or hidden, despite having no explicit adult content itch.io+12<span class="max-w-full grow truncate overflow-hidden text-center" <the="" verge<="" span="">>span class="-me-1 flex h-full items-center rounded-full px-1 text-[#8F8F8F]">+12<span class="max-w-full grow truncate overflow-hidden text-center" <them<="" span="">>span class="-me-1 flex h-full items-center rounded-full px-1 text-[#8F8F8F]">+12</a></span></span>.
• Lack of transparency or appeal: Developers affected often say they received no prior notice or meaningful explanation, and clarity around whether flagged content contains only tangentially or inadvertently “NSFW” themes remains murky GamesRadar+.
• Content definition conflation: The use of tag-based flags, automated heuristics, and vague criteria may be conflating queer identity with sexualization, even when explicit content is absent itch.io+8<span class="max-w-full grow truncate overflow-hidden text-center" <the="" verge<="" span="">>span class="-me-1 flex h-full items-center rounded-full px-1 text-[#8F8F8F]">+8itch.io+8</a></span>.

My requests:

1. Clarification on criteria: How are “adult” or “NSFW” pages identified? Are LGBT or queer tags used in flagging, or only NSFW labels or heuristics? Has this algorithm proven to misclassify content?
2. Appeal process: Will creators whose non-adult works were deindexed be given a clear path to contest or reinstate their pages?
3. Scope of removals: How many titles have been deindexed or removed so far? Specifically, how many SFW/LGBTQ-tagged works were affected?
4. Next steps: What timeline exists for the audit, API of reindexing, or rollback of misclassified content?

I value Itch.io for its indie diversity and the creative edge it offers. But without transparent communication or remedial steps, the community’s confidence—and the livelihood of marginalized developers—stands shaken. If tag-based misclassification has silenced accessible queer voices, that's not just unfortunate; it's unacceptable.

I look forward to your timely, substantive response so that trust can be rebuilt. Thank you for your time and the courage you’ve shown in past moments. Let’s ensure queer storytellers are not collateral damage in corporate compliance.

In solidarity and hope,

Wil Hall