Today, we are re-indexing free adult NSFW content . We are still in ongoing discussions with payment processors and will be re-introducing paid content slowly to ensure we can confidently support the
A payment processor tells that they either remove the porn games, or they will remove the ability to pay for all games for them. The only company that can stand up to them in any way is one large enough to call the bluff and the payment processor wouldn’t be willing to actually lose.
And that list is basically Amazon, Apple, Google and stuff like that, and definitely not a tiny thing like itch.io.
Valve was the first to fold. And apparently it wasn’t to Visa or Mastercard but to some intermediaries. Not sure how much pull those have, but probably still pretty big given what happened.
I’m not sure Valve have folded as much as pretending to comply for now to stall for time to work on a more strategic countermeasure that will stay long into the future.
Maybe I’m just coping but it’s the logical thing to do in the US where Valve is based, and Valve is one of the few US companies who are not always under time pressure because they are like one of the biggest companies who’s private and not publicly traded.
(Speaking with Aftermath, Itch’s founder, Leaf Corcoran, specifically cited a notice from Visa as an incident that led to the sudden deindexing of so many games).
So devs got to eat it because this company can’t stand up to Mastercard and Visa.
A payment processor tells that they either remove the porn games, or they will remove the ability to pay for all games for them. The only company that can stand up to them in any way is one large enough to call the bluff and the payment processor wouldn’t be willing to actually lose.
And that list is basically Amazon, Apple, Google and stuff like that, and definitely not a tiny thing like itch.io.
Valve stands a better chance of making a stand, but it’s still a single sandbag vs a tsunami
Valve was the first to fold. And apparently it wasn’t to Visa or Mastercard but to some intermediaries. Not sure how much pull those have, but probably still pretty big given what happened.
I’m not sure Valve have folded as much as pretending to comply for now to stall for time to work on a more strategic countermeasure that will stay long into the future.
Maybe I’m just coping but it’s the logical thing to do in the US where Valve is based, and Valve is one of the few US companies who are not always under time pressure because they are like one of the biggest companies who’s private and not publicly traded.
Yeah, Valve folded first, but with itch pushing back a little it gives me hope that Valve will do the same, but with a little more teeth.
Itch.io is currently saying the problem is Stripe, and maybe Visa.
Historically (ex: https://otakuusamagazine.com/visa-and-mastercard-refuse-to-work-with-another-doujinshi-retailer/), I’d say Mastercard and Visa are both to blame. But the jury is still out on wtf is going on here.
I’m not sure who pressured Steam. But Itch.io (https://aftermath.site/steam-itch-porn-censorship-collective-shout-visa-mastercard-paypal) is claiming Stripe and Visa are pressuring them.