Itch.io, widely known as an independent marketplace for game creators, has responded to industry pressure by temporarily de-indexing all games featuring NSFW or explicit content. This move follows a similar crackdown by Valve´s Steam platform, both of which cite concerns expressed by major payment processors. The recent action was triggered after an open letter from payment executives raised objections to certain explicit games, particularly those featuring depictions of minors or non-consensual acts. In its public statement, Itch.io acknowledged the urgency to protect its payment infrastructure, which led to the swift removal of affected games pending an internal audit.
Developers discovered their games were missing without advance notice, after which Itch.io clarified its position and process. During the audit, creators of NSFW games will receive updated guidelines along with requirements for any changes necessary to regain listing privileges. Some titles are expected to be permanently excluded from the store, in accordance with payment processors’ demands and to mitigate legal or reputational risk. Crucially, even previous purchasers currently cannot download delisted games—effectively locking out existing customers during the review period.
On pages where affected games were previously available, Itch.io now displays a comprehensive message outlining its current rules: hosting sexualized images or videos of real-life humans is forbidden; fictional, illustrated, or rendered content remains allowed if legal. Artificial intelligence-generated imagery meant to simulate real people is explicitly banned. The message further prohibits content depicting sexualized minors or glorifying sexual violence, and mandates that creators comply with all relevant payment processor policies if they intend to monetize their content. While these restrictions still allow certain kinds of NSFW work, their boundaries hinge on both legality and third-party payment policies, reflecting a broader industry shift involving ethical, legal, and financial dimensions of adult content distribution.
