All NSFW games on Itch are now hidden by default.

[torpedogoat]

Here are some facts as I have gathered them:

- NSFW games have long been hidden from general search on itch.io. They could however be found when searching for NSFW categories, e.g.

You must be registered to see the links

. This worked even when logged out. I don't know how long the option Settings -> Content -> Show content marked as adult in search & browse has existed, but I had it switched off and saw no effect. (I.e. until recently I saw all adult games anyway.)
- While NSFW games are currently still available on itch.io, searching for them seems no longer possible.

You must be registered to see the links

turns up some obscure games, but even though it should be sorted by popularity it doesn't include the super popular games.
- Even so, the situation on itch.io does not comply with the law in some especially restrictive countries. Notably in Germany, the age verification requirements are so onerous that Steam simply treats all users as not age verified, preventing all Germans from buying any adult games on Steam. (For some games there is a censored alternative for such markets.) To make things worse, developers of SFW games were forced to retroactively guarantee that their games are SFW by sending a signed legal document to Steam. Many did not bother, so that some older games that are very obviously completely suitable for children are now no longer sold by Steam in Germany. Unlike itch.io, Steam has implemented this properly and does not even display the affected Store pages in Germany.
- Some of the problems are caused by pressure from payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard.
- The payment processors themselves are under pressure to deny service to 'immoral' services and products. Part of the pressure is directly from religious [edited: and feminist] pressure groups.
- Part of the pressure is via the stock market. Stock prices rise when companies are included in indexes and their stock is bought in great amounts via ETFs. Visa and Mastercard are part of all the most important US and global indexes. However, more and more private and institutional customers (not just churches, but also large pension funds) have rules that limit them to ESG (environmental, social and governance) or SRI (socially responsible investment) or similar criteria. Visa and Mastercard currently pass most of these criteria, but risk to be thrown out if they resist the pressure groups that want them to give up high-profile 'immoral' customers.
- I think truly immoral services and products such as your local mafia-run brothel with trafficked under-age girls, or illegal drugs sold on the dark web, typically have no problem with their payment processors as they just present themselves as selling e.g. wellness services or medicine. The payment processors then have plausible deniability unless and until each of their customers is specifically reported to them.
- The problem for Steam and itch.io is that they are big and in the public view.
- PS: Currently the main issue seems to be an Australian feminist pressure group.

In the great scheme of the world, this censorship is not the worst thing that's going on right now. Far worse than your favorite AVN being discontinued, or even losing your source of income because nobody finds your game any more or there is no way to pay for it -- is losing your own life, or the lives of your wife and unborn child, because of insane anti-abortion laws that completely ignore how common medical emergencies are around pregnancy and childbirth. These issues are all related, and the lethal laws are what needs to be fought first and foremost. [PS: This obviously only applies where such laws currently exist or may be coming, such as in the US.]

 

[Count Morado]

When I speak about those at risk, I am speaking in reference to the thousands of other NSFW games that have been hidden away that do not break any of itch's rules.

And itch has said once the games have been reviewed and shown to comply, things will be corrected for them.

It was the developers who didn't follow the rules that fucked it up for everyone else. And itch for not being more adamant about compliance to their rules.

As for everything else - again, you're wrong. You are making assumptions about me based upon my clear and objective look at the reality of situation and not what I believe in or who I am.

Nor did I say what was right (except that developers should have followed the TOS they agreed to and itch and steam should have done the same - they were wrong for not doing so) - but what was legal.

Enjoy your day.

 

[Cybuster]

When I speak about those at risk, I am speaking in reference to the thousands of other NSFW games that have been hidden away that do not break any of itch's rules.



By YOUR own estimate, there are THOUSANDS of games which have no violations in them that are currently hidden away. And with no real timeline for when or IF they ever will return to being normally listed, those creators are facing very real losses despite not having broken any laws, any of itch's rules, or any of the payment processors rules.




And the fact that you would even put those words to life and press send on that only showcases even more that I am right. You can't even wrap your head around the idea of actually caring, but you think we should give a fuck about "business and the law".

Look at me fellas, I'm Count Morado, I care about businesses and the law. Who cares about caring about the creators of the games I play when I could care about shareholders. Did I mention I love businesses? Here's an arbitrary fact that doesn't really mean anything. It's the law. I don't have empathy, empathy isn't the law. Business. I'm so objective, but totally not in a blind to everything but facts way. Regulation. It's a fact, so it must be right.

This is my impression of you. It's very accurate.

But anyways I'm not gonna argue with you anymore. You're nothing more than a soulless pariah who can't seem to actually acknowledge the problems of today or envision a better future. I hope that things actually change and that one day soulless business "people" like you are completely gotten rid of. You are a blight upon our society and being factually correct will never change that
.
.
.
So I'm gonna go anally rape my sister in Living with Sister: Monochrome Fantasy, a game I legally bought on Steam with my VISA card (support devs when you can folks), just to spite the payment processors and the puritans. That'll be time much better than whatever this is.

When I speak about those at risk, I am speaking in reference to the thousands of other NSFW games that have been hidden away that do not break any of itch's rules.



By YOUR own estimate, there are THOUSANDS of games which have no violations in them that are currently hidden away. And with no real timeline for when or IF they ever will return to being normally listed, those creators are facing very real losses despite not having broken any laws, any of itch's rules, or any of the payment processors rules.




And the fact that you would even put those words to life and press send on that only showcases even more that I am right. You can't even wrap your head around the idea of actually caring, but you think we should give a fuck about "business and the law".

Look at me fellas, I'm Count Morado, I care about businesses and the law. Who cares about caring about the creators of the games I play when I could care about shareholders. Did I mention I love businesses? Here's an arbitrary fact that doesn't really mean anything. It's the law. I don't have empathy, empathy isn't the law. Business. I'm so objective, but totally not in a blind to everything but facts way. Regulation. It's a fact, so it must be right.

This is my impression of you. It's very accurate.

But anyways I'm not gonna argue with you anymore. You're nothing more than a soulless pariah who can't seem to actually acknowledge the problems of today or envision a better future. I hope that things actually change and that one day soulless business "people" like you are completely gotten rid of. You are a blight upon our society and being factually correct will never change that
.
.
.
So I'm gonna go anally rape my sister in Living with Sister: Monochrome Fantasy, a game I legally bought on Steam with my VISA card (support devs when you can folks), just to spite the payment processors and the puritans. That'll be time much better than whatever this is.

Dude I know you mean well, and I wish Visa and Mastercard are neutral parties, but the reality is they are not, and no amount of your ranting is going to change their stance, the harsh reality is that what Visa and Mastercard are doing right now are not illegal, and that's all they need to stand on. The only remedy to this is legislative action, and yes this means everyone who resides in the US and care enough about your hobby should be aware of politics and advocate for your interest. Ignorance at this point is dangerous.

 

[DuniX]

Okay. You think it is right. But are you the average person? No, you are not. The average person does NOT play adult video games with sexually graphic content in them. The average person is not going to agree with you that rape and incest content in video games is what they want available.

In terms of Normies and the fact that they are also targeting the LGBTQ+ degenerates and furries as well as tageting platforms like X with fan art and previously targeting OnlyFans.
And while Porn Games might be a niche, Steam itself is ubiquitous.
There might be a lot more support from "Normies" than people think.

You know people have dicks, I know the West keeps cutting them but still...

 

[Count Morado]

In terms of Normies and the fact that they are also targeting the LGBTQ+ degenerates and furries as well as tageting platforms like X with fan art and previously targeting OnlyFans.
And while Porn Games might be a niche, Steam itself is ubiquitous.
There might be a lot more support from "Normies" than people think.

Fictional rape/sexual violence for sexual gratification in games does not have the support from "normies" you think it has. Hell, there is less sex (both intimated and graphic) in movies today than there was when I was a teen in the 1980s. Fictional incest for sexual gratification is also not going to get a lot of "normies" to support. Again, even in literary content with artistic merit - not trying to create scenes for people to whack it to - it's a bit of a sticky wicket to work through.

Even if some top searches for porn, etc include rape fantasies and step-cest - it's one thing for someone to view it in the privacy of their own home - but they aren't going to fight for it in public. Again, not in this political climate - at least not in the USA and western Europe.

 

[Itzjustzee]

Months and months of work, making a game, building an audience, uploading content and devlogs and this is all I have left to show of it:

"This game's files have been suspended by an itch.io administrator.

You must be registered to see the links

if you need assistance."

Fuck you Itch.

 

[RPDL]

Anyone mad at Count Morado for typing what you don't wanna see, collectiveshout for starting this, any religious/political group that pressures sites, or a platform that removed your incest smut is misdirected. Being mad at any of these is a waste of energy.

Get MAD! It's good to be mad. Then direct that anger at people who can change it. Email or write to your local politician. if you're american, reach out and let it be known how important

You must be registered to see the links

is to you. It actually won't fix everything overnight if it passes but it's a good start - rome wasn't built in a day.

Otherwise, learn how to use crypto. Nothing will change at Visa, your now banned smut will NOT suddenly be unbanned.
If you want to pay for it, learn how to use crypto - it's knowledge that cannot be censored or taken from you.

 

[Cybuster]

And itch has said once the games have been reviewed and shown to comply, things will be corrected for them.

It was the developers who didn't follow the rules that fucked it up for everyone else. And itch for not being more adamant about compliance to their rules.

As for everything else - again, you're wrong. You are making assumptions about me based upon my clear and objective look at the reality of situation and not what I believe in or who I am.

Nor did I say what was right (except that developers should have followed the TOS they agreed to and itch and steam should have done the same - they were wrong for not doing so) - but what was legal.

Enjoy your day.

I think everyone here have little regard for TOS because it is almost equivalent to the late 2000s where one uploads entire series of anime to YouTube then have a "I don't own anything" faux disclaimer to avoid liability. And most TOS are exactly this "half-assed faux disclaimer to avoid liability", this is true even for Visa and Mastercard TOS, not to mention TOS can change on a whim, had there been no political pressure or societal aversion, these TOS would not have existed, the fact that it was not enforced for a long time only support the fact that a lot of people, or at least the target audience don't give a shit about what is being sold until some sexless prude puritanical karen shit their pants and piss themselves in anger at fictional pussies.

Japanese people don't give a shit about taboo subjects, at least they keep it behind barriers they believe is sufficient to not be a problem. Point is their society don't have sensitivity toward sex like the west do. So this is a cultural and society issue ultimately, and I think the best way to approach this is the same as D&D during the height of satanic panic or violent video games, keep supporting the industry financially however you can, keep supporting the hobby you like. So long as there's a demand, there will be supply, till the industry is big enough and people in general admits that liking something like this is a part of life. If it takes 100 years, then so be it.

 

[kranriss]

 

[Casperer007]

Dude I know you mean well, and I wish Visa and Mastercard are neutral parties, but the reality is they are not, and no amount of your ranting is going to change their stance, the harsh reality is that what Visa and Mastercard are doing right now are not illegal, and that's all they need to stand on. The only remedy to this is legislative action, and yes this means everyone who resides in the US and care enough about your hobby should be aware of politics and advocate for your interest. Ignorance at this point is dangerous.

I am aware of the real center of the issue and I didn't mean to rant, just got a little taken away.

I just think that it should not be legal, and speaking about how it is legal without explaining why or that it shouldn't be legal is dangerous as it only provides a shield of legitimacy for the payment processors to hide behind and makes creating meaningful change an even steeper uphill battle.

 

[Count Morado]

Get MAD! It's good to be mad. Then direct that anger at people who can change it. Email or write to your local politician.

This.

So this is a cultural and society issue ultimately, and I think the best way to approach this is the same as D&D during the height of satanic panic or violent video games, keep supporting the industry financially however you can, keep supporting the hobby you like.

... If it takes 100 years, then so be it.

This.

 

[Randomfox01]

I think everyone here have little regard for TOS because it is almost equivalent to the late 2000s where one uploads entire series of anime to YouTube then have a "I don't own anything" faux disclaimer to avoid liability. And most TOS are exactly this "half-assed faux disclaimer to avoid liability", this is true even for Visa and Mastercard TOS, not to mention TOS can change on a whim, had there been no political pressure or societal aversion, these TOS would not have existed, the fact that it was not enforced for a long time only support the fact that a lot of people, or at least the target audience don't give a shit about what is being sold until some sexless prude puritanical karen shit their pants and piss themselves in anger at fictional pussies.

Japanese people don't give a shit about taboo subjects, at least they keep it behind barriers they believe is sufficient to not be a problem. Point is their society don't have sensitivity toward sex like the west do. So this is a cultural and society issue ultimately, and I think the best way to approach this is the same as D&D during the height of satanic panic or violent video games, keep supporting the industry financially however you can, keep supporting the hobby you like. So long as there's a demand, there will be supply, till the industry is big enough and people in general admits that liking something like this is a part of life. If it takes 100 years, then so be it.

Funny when you mention Japan, when they're the first country to send an anti-trust action towards these credit cards companies, at least with Visa, which is basically the reason why we're in this fiasco in the first place, actually

 

[DuniX]

Fictional rape/sexual violence for sexual gratification in games does not have the support from "normies" you think it has.

It's not about what, it's about how pissed people are.
You think Normies are about logic and reason?
Fact is Payment Processors have been fucking many things before and will fuck many things in the future.

And you are forgetting something, high school settings, you can call that ** but what a Normie will call that is Vanilla and ubiquitous in Dating Sims and most Anime.
Do you know how pissed the Anime Community is? The last bastion of entertainment that still survives? What do you think character fan art is going to have on X and other sites?
If you are < 35 and male you are pissed.
The only ones that aren't are the gays and the furries, that are also targeted.

 

[micojive]

I'm gonna pretty much ignore him now, I know what kind he is and I'm not a fan

The dude has 11,000 posts in 3 years. 10 posts a day, every day, for 3 years straight. Hes a troll that gets off of just triggering people. Ignore it.

 

[bennnn]

I guess this will return the era of internet piracy, but in these days there will be torrents with custom wallets with for 'donations'. Maybe telegramm channels with ability to pay for content with crypto will come as a substitute.

I will not be surprised if there will be a bunch of devs and artists that will drop their work.

 

[Count Morado]

high school settings, you can call that ** but what a Normie will call that is Vanilla

No. No they don't. No, sexual scenes of teens are not "vanilla" to "normies" -- it was more accepted, again, when I was a teen in the 1980s - but no, not today. There are so many movies I watched in the 1980s that could not get made today because of their sexual situations with high school teens.

"Just one of the Guys"
"Porky's"
"Weird Science"
are just the first three that comes to mind -- and 2 of them are pretty "tame"

If you are < 35 and male you are pissed.

<35 males vote and support politicians at a far lower rate than women and people over 35. Their political leverage is limited in this environment.

And of those <35 males that have political leverage -- the majority voted in 2024 in the US for the wrong candidates if they cared about their adult games. They voted for candidates who support restricting access to adult content.

 

[DuniX]

No. No they don't. No, sexual scenes of teens are not "vanilla" to "normies" -- it was more accepted, again, when I was a teen in the 1980s - but no, not today. There are so many movies I watched in the 1980s that could not get made today because of their sexual situations with high school teens.

What do you think Normies fap to?

 

[balitz Method]

In a year or two, they'll come for fellatio, then facesitting, maybe anal after that. Then it's NTR's turn, and in the end, they'll come for vanilla.

Anyone who thinks "oh, they're just coming for the bad stuff; let's keep context in mind!" is delusional. This is evangelicals seeing what they can get away with by using capital to suppress people and ideas they hate. The endgame is to come for all of it.

 

[Carryon]

The Count's catching a bunch of flak in the thread, but like, he's not wrong. It sucks to be reminded that we live under the thumb of the money'd class but that's simply the basic framework of the current hegemony. It is simply how it is. And I'm a freak'o who even likes the tags most under fire currently so it's not just me gloating about gooners getting what's coming to them lol.

All the collective Gamer Rage in the world is not going to topple the banking system, which this all goes back to in the end. There won't be even the slightest tremor, not over this. No, not even if Asmongold or whoever the fuck makes a video about it.

 

[Count Morado]

What do you think Normies fap to?

SIGH. Not enough "normies" fap to what you hope they fap to. And the "normies" that do - far fewer will fight for it in the public. They won't call their elected officials. They won't answer the call to action. Then they are no longer "normies," are they?

"Normies" have jobs to answer to.
"Normies" have parents and spouses and partners and children to answer to.
"Normies" have bills to pay and put food on the table.
"Normies" are not going to be pointed to by other "normies" and no longer be considered a "normie."