Following in the footsteps of Steam, itch.io—a platform long considered a haven for indie titles—has officially begun cracking down on adult-oriented content.

On the 24th, itch.io announced via its website that it has begun de-indexing NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content. The management team acknowledged the situation, stating, "We understand this news may be sudden and confusing, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption and frustration caused."

The platform clarified the reasoning behind the move, noting, "We have recently been under investigation by payment processors regarding the nature of certain content." Furthermore, itch.io explicitly pointed to 'Collective Shout,' the advocacy group known for spearheading similar removals on Steam. The platform added, "Following the incident in April where the adult game 'No Mercy' was blocked after collecting over 70,000 signatures, Collective Shout raised concerns with our payment processors regarding specific types of content."

itch.io is currently conducting a comprehensive audit of existing content and plans to implement new regulations once the review is complete. During this period, the NSFW page will remain de-indexed, and some items may be permanently removed from the platform.

Meanwhile, this wave of large-scale regulation on adult games first rose to the surface on the 16th, when Steam updated its content distribution rules and guidelines. The newly added provision explicitly states that it prohibits "content that may violate the rules and standards of payment systems, credit card networks, banks, or internet service providers, particularly certain types of adult-only content."

Regarding this, Valve explained the motivation behind the guideline update on the 21st, stating, "We received notice that certain games on Steam could be in violation of the rules and standards set by our payment processors and the associated card network banks." In fact, since the update to the guidelines, it has been confirmed that approximately 100 adult games have been removed from Steam.