Game industry fires back as certain adult games continue to be delisted from Steam and Itch.io: "Financial institutions are now influencing which stories can be told and sold in games"

An anime-style drawing of a woman smoking a cigarette in front of a chain-link fence from the adult puzzle game HuniePop.

Earlier this month, digital PC game storefronts like Steam and Itch.io began to delist numerous adult games under pressure from major payment processors. Today, the IGDA – a decades-old independent organization representing game developers around the world – has issued a statement condemning the move, urging developers and players alike to contact companies like Visa and Mastercard and make their voices heard.

"The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is seriously alarmed by the recent wave of game delistings, deindexing, and payment disruptions targeting adult-themed titles on platforms such as Steam and Itch.io," the statement begins. "Reports suggest these actions have been taken with little to no communication and have disproportionately harmed developers producing legal, consensual, and ethically-developed content, including creators from marginalized communities."