Visa and Mastercard Trigger Adult Game Ban

Major payment companies including Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe are facing widespread criticism following their alleged role in pressuring online gaming platforms to remove adult content.

As of July 28, 2025, the backlash intensified.

Online media reports say it came after independent gaming site Itch.io removed hundreds of not-safe-for-work (NSFW) games from its platform, a decision made swiftly to prevent disruption of its payment services.

The removal came in the wake of a campaign led by Collective Shout, an Australian advocacy group that targets the sexualization of women and girls in media.

The group issued an open letter on July 14 calling on payment processors to cut ties with platforms like Steam and Itch.io.

It claimed that numerous games featured disturbing themes such as sexual violence, incest, and rape.

In response, Itch.io announced it had removed all NSFW content from its browsing and search features.

It stated that the decision was necessary to safeguard its platform’s payment infrastructure.

Some games were entirely taken down.

“The situation unfolded quickly, and we had to act to maintain core payment operations,” Itch.io said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, this meant we couldn’t provide creators with advance notice.

We recognize this isn’t ideal and apologize for the sudden change.”

The move sparked confusion among users, with some reporting they could no longer access games they had previously purchased.

Itch.io denied these claims but acknowledged the platform-wide impact of the decision.

Collective Shout, though relatively small, has become increasingly influential in Australian digital policy debates.

Its director, Melinda Tankard Reist, was recently appointed to the advisory board overseeing the government’s age-verification trial.

This comes ahead of a nationwide social media ban for users under 16, set to take effect in December.

The group has campaigned on various issues, including suggestive advertising and adult content on Elon Musk’s social platform X (formerly Twitter).

On the other hand, its recent campaign against gaming platforms has gained global attention.

Within two weeks of sending letters to companies like PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard, both Itch.io and the much larger Steam platform began rolling out content policy changes.

Steam, which boasts over 130 million active users per month, reportedly removed hundreds of titles under similar pressure.

Reist said she and her team have been targeted with online abuse, including rape and death threats, since the campaign began.

They are collecting the messages to report to Australian authorities and the eSafety commissioner.

In parallel, a growing number of internet users are pushing back.

A Change.org petition titled “Stop payment processors from controlling what we can watch, read, or play” had attracted over 147,000 signatures by Monday.

The petition argues that individuals should be free to access legal content, even if it is controversial.

“People don’t have to engage with content they dislike,” it states, “but that doesn’t give them the right to decide what others can enjoy.”

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk weighed in on the debate, praising the petition with a “bravo” on X.

He also suggested that he aims to launch his own payments system to counter what he sees as overreach by existing processors.

However, critics argue that Itch.io’s sweeping ban on adult content disproportionately affected marginalized creators, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Several users expressed concern that censorship of sexual content could evolve into broader suppression of queer expression.

One petition signer wrote, “Censoring sexual expression often leads to targeting non-sexual LGBTQ+ content.

Protecting this right is vital to protecting my existence.”

Tankard Reist responded by clarifying that the intention was never to eliminate all NSFW content but to ensure that games comply with payment providers’ policies.

She noted that Itch.io plans to review its policy and reinstate some adult games, provided they meet the guidelines of the respective payment platforms.

“Payment companies have the right to align their services with their values and corporate responsibility policies,” she said.

Reist also dismissed suggestions that Australia’s incoming Online Safety Act would have been a more appropriate vehicle for regulation, saying the problem extends beyond national borders.

“The internet doesn’t stop at Australia’s borders,” she said.

“This is a global issue.

“Harmful content targeting women and girls is everywhere,and we couldn’t afford to wait.”

PayPal, when contacted, declined to discuss individual clients, but stated that it enforces strict policies against illegal content.

Visa, Mastercard, and Steam did not respond to requests for comment.

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