Valve Remains Silent on Mastercard’s Decision

The recent sudden removal of adult content on some gaming platforms has sparked a strong backlash among both players and developers. These developments are being blamed on pressure from payment providers. Valve’s latest move, in particular, has highlighted the complexity of this process.

Valve Cites Mastercard for Content Restrictions

Platforms like Valve and Itch.io have stated that their removals of adult content were motivated by the demands of their payment partners. This decision has been met with criticism from the industry, accusing it of undermining independent developers’ right to sell their work. Itch.io announced that the content was temporarily removed and that they have begun relisting some of it.

Valve Remains Silent on Mastercard's Decision

Mastercard denied the accusations. The company stated that it had not imposed any direct restrictions on game content on any platform. However, Valve’s statement revealed that things were not that simple. It said that Mastercard did not communicate directly, but instead communicated its policies through intermediary payment providers.

According to Valve, since 2018, only games that can be legally distributed have been permitted. However, payment processors deemed this policy insufficient and pointed to Mastercard’s rule 5.12.7, which addresses content that could damage brand reputation.

This situation has sparked a serious debate within the industry about freedom of expression. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) described these restrictions as “creative stifling.” The Germany-based Game Association emphasized the alarming nature of payment service providers’ restrictions that go beyond the law. The debate raises questions about where the line should be drawn between content freedom and financial regulation.

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Dilay Sullu

I've been playing Survival Horror Games since my childhood. My favorite is Resident Evil. I also love other game genres such as Hack & Slash. I love creating all kind of contents for video games.

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