Users of itch.io were taken aback when they learned this morning that the platform had removed games classified as NSFW from search and browsing results. Essentially, these specific games have become invisible to users trying to find or explore them. In contrast to Steam’s recent actions against mature content, itch.io has openly addressed the issue in a statement on their website. In this declaration, itch.io acknowledges that suspicions about Steam were correct; an organization known as Collective Shout initiated a campaign against both platforms, focusing on the payment processors enabling their operations. If these claims are valid, Collective Shout is essentially censoring content on these platforms by targeting their business partners.
In a crucial time crunch, itch.io finds itself in a pressing situation that necessitated immediate action to safeguard the fundamental payment system of our platform. Due to the urgency, we couldn’t give creators prior warning about these changes. We understand that this sudden shift is less than ideal and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The situation we’re discussing stems from the removal of a game titled “No Mercy” from the platform several months back. This game contained themes of rape and incest, which sparked significant attention at that time. Even though “No Mercy” isn’t accessible on Steam or itch.io currently, the controversy provided an opening for Collective Shout to initiate a crusade against these platforms. Consequently, numerous other games are no longer offered for sale.
An “extensive review” is currently being conducted on itch.io, and this announcement indicates that certain games may be taken down permanently to meet payment processor requirements. The creators of these games will receive an email informing them about the deletion. Regrettably, it seems that developers were not previously warned before the removal (deindexing). Moreover, it’s unclear what specific content is being deemed as adult-only (NSFW), leading to much confusion. Although itch.io has shown more transparency than Steam recently, there remains a lot of discontent towards the company due to how they have managed this situation.
The exact number of Steam and itch.io users who purchase adult-only content is unclear, but there’s a growing worry that this could open the door for censorship of all kinds of content. If sexual content is deemed problematic, for instance, it could potentially lead to games like “The Witcher III: Wild Hunt” or “Cyberpunk 2077” being prohibited, as well as future installments of “Grand Theft Auto.” Fans are also worried that LGBTQ+ content may be targeted, which could result in games such as “Celeste” and “A Normal Lost Phone” being taken off the platforms. At present, users of these two platforms have valid reasons to express their concerns about the way things are being managed.
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2025-07-24 18:11