The plot thickens.
Free adult NSFW games have been reindexed on itch.io at the same time the service has updated users on payment processor Stripe’s content policies.
“Today, we are re-indexing free adult NSFW content,” reads an update from itch.io. “We are still in ongoing discussions with payment processors and will be re-introducing paid content slowly to ensure we can confidently support the widest range of creators in the long term.”
The update continues on to say that Stripe, one of its two payment processors, “will not be able to support adult content that fits the following definition: ‘content designed for sexual gratification.'”
“Stripe is currently unable to support sexually explicit content due to restrictions placed on them by their banking partners, despite card networks generally supporting adult content (with the appropriate registrations),” reads an update from the payment processor, as provided to itch.io. “Stripe has indicated that they hope to be able to support adult content in the future.”
The service has confirmed it is reaching out to other payment processors — beyond Stripe and PayPal, both of which are in current use — “to accept card payments that Stripe is unable to process”.
itch.io confirmed that Stripe payments have been disabled on pages identified as having “adult NSFW content”.
Last week, itch.io made the decision to delist NSFW (not safe for work) games from its library. It did so due to pressure put on its current payment processors, PayPal and Stripe, by Australian lobbying group Collective Shout.
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