Content warning: guidelines discussed below include mentions of sexual violence.
Last week, indie megaplatform itch.io announced it had deindexed all adult content from its search and browse pages, thanks to pressure from payment processors and targeting from an anti-porn campaign. Following no small amount of outcry from the independent development community, Itch has reintroduced a pathway for adult content to appear on the platform, so long as abides by a new set of rules.
The rules for adult content live in its FAQ section, including a “non exhaustive list” of prohibited themes, all of which are in line with card processing networks’ rules for this type of content. The platform links to several processors’ terms, including Stripe, Paypal, and Payoneer for reference above the list.
Games and other projects on Itch.io may not contain the following prohibited themes:
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”)
Further, the section reads “If you’ve collected money while in violation of terms, we may be forced to refund or freeze all pending transactions, as accounts that are in violation of our terms are not eligible for payouts.”
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While the new rules re-open a slammed-shut door for adult content on Itch, the entire affair also has some questioning the power payment processing companies wield in online markets.
Itch made these changes thanks to targeting from anti-porn organization
In the initial post about deindexing, itch founder Leaf Corcoran pointed towards a Collective Shout campaign as the reason for the rapid move. Collective Shout bills itself as an organization that rallies against material its members believe sexually objectify women and girls. It counts a number of “sexually violent games banned” among its “wins” on its about page.
“Recently, we came under scrutiny from our payment processors regarding the nature of some content hosted on itch.io. Due to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms.”
Corcoran apologized for the abruptness of the changes, noting: “We understand this action is sudden and disruptive, and we are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion caused by this change.”
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As noted in the story last week, this move comes shortly after Steam also bowed to pressure from card processors.