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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Josh Taylor Technology reporter

Mastercard and Visa face backlash after hundreds of adult games removed from online stores Steam and Itch.io

Mastercard Steam Visa Collective Shout Itchio Australia Elon Musk PayPal
Mastercard and Visa-branded credit cards
Video game storefront itch.io says it removed hundreds of adult games from search results in response to demands from payment providers like Mastercard and Visa. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Payment companies such as Visa, Mastercard and Stripe are facing public backlash, including from billionaire Elon Musk, for pressuring online gaming platforms to remove hundreds of games in response to a campaign from an Australian anti-porn lobby group.

Itch.io, an independent gaming platform, last week removed all adult or not-safe-for-work (NSFW) games from appearing in its library in a hasty move to prevent payments for games being blocked across its entire service.

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