Itch.io Removes NSFW Games Due to Payment Processor Pressure

Indie games, right? They’re like the wild west of gaming, or maybe more like a thrift shop where you never know what you’ll find. But, oh man, Itch.io, a haven for all things quirky and fun, just hit a bump on its crazy ride. So yeah, they pulled all their adult content. Boom, gone. Why? Well, that’s where it gets messy.

Leaf Corcoran, the guy who runs the show, spilled the beans in this blog post. Apparently, some group called Collective Shout – which, seriously, sounds like a shout-out group but isn’t – has been shaking things up. They’re gunning for Steam too. It’s like these guys have it out for anything remotely adult. And, oh boy, they went straight for the money, targeting payment providers for both platforms. Talk about strategic, huh?

So, Itch.io had to play ball. They’re scrambling now, doing this whole audit thing to keep the cash flow steady. Can’t blame ’em — creators gotta get paid somehow. Corcoran was pretty blunt about it, saying how losing payment capabilities is like hitting a brick wall for developers. Nobody wants that, obviously.

Now, picture this: you wake up, coffee barely in your system, and boom, surprise change! That’s what devs got — nada for warning. Can you believe it? I mean, it’s not like they could’ve done anything different, but still. A little heads-up would’ve been nice, right? Leaf’s saying sorry, and you can almost hear the frantic keyboard taps in his apology.

And Steam – oh, Steam’s dancing to the same tune lately. New rules, but they’re as clear as mud. Payment processors have their fingers in all the pies now. Ah, the joys of keeping everyone happy. Anyway — wait, lost my train of thought. Oh yeah, indie games. The wild ride continues.