Itch.io Removes NSFW Games Due to Payment Processor Pressure

So, here’s the deal with Itch.io. Wild times, right? They just chucked all their adult NSFW stuff off the platform. Seems the payment bigwigs were breathing down their necks. Why? Apparently, this bunch called Collective Shout decided they’ve got beef with Steam and Itch.io. I mean, who takes on both? Bold move, honestly.

Leaf Corcoran, the brain behind Itch.io, spilled the beans in a blog post. Picture him typing away, trying to keep it cool but there’s this tension, you know? This group – bit intense, if you ask me – poked the payment providers with their “concerns.” Makes you wonder what goes into convincing a company to slam the brakes on adult games. Is it strategy? Luck? Just really good cookies at their meetings? But I digress.

Now, Itch.io is in full audit mode, rummaging through their content like a hurried spring cleaning session. They’re gonna have new rules–probably boring as heck but essential for the whole payment process spiel. Corcoran mentioned that keeping the payment gears turning is pretty much top priority. Can’t really blame them. You stop the payment train, and the whole thing derails, pulling all those creative projects with it. Kind of a downer, right?

Corcoran went on about how this was a ticking time bomb kind of scenario. Imagine scrambling and throwing things out of your metaphorical digital house just to keep the lights on. Bit dramatic, but hey, no notice for creators wasn’t ideal. Not one bit. He did own up to it, though, even apologized for the sudden chop-chop. Ah, the complexities of running a platform these days.

Speaking of pressure, Valve – that’s Steam for those living under a rock – threw some vague guidelines into the mix. Thanks, yet again, to our friends at Collective Shout. What even counts as vague content rules? Probably as foggy as my memories of last weekend.

Anyway, long story short (kind of, since I rambled a bit), Itch.io had to make a quick yet messy call to keep payment options alive. A whirlwind, but such is the digital world, I guess.