itch.io is seeking to support payment services for 18+ after removing the adult content index Business
The world’s largest stand-alone game platform, itch.io, removed most of the index of “nap for the workplace” (NSFW) or adult content last week. Unindexed users will not be able to browse such content through the web search function, but this does not mean that all such games have declined.
Prior to this, the Collective Shut organization launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, demanding payment processors to prevent the sale of particular forms of content. Today, in its updated FAQ, itch.io states that the Platform is seeking to work with other pay providers that allow NSFW and adult content.
itch.io stated: “The situation is still changing as we await the final decision of the current payment processors Stripe and PayPal. There are still unknown factors that prevent us from providing a precise timetable. At the same time, we are actively contacting other paying service providers who are more willing to deal with such content. For the foreseeable future, we have suspended the use of Stripe for the 18+ content. Our current focus is on content classification audits and implementation of more rigorous age validation on the website.”
The expanded FAQ also explains why tch.io plays much more games down than Steam: “We deal with differences that are of a platform nature. Steam is a relatively `closed’ platform that needs to be reviewed before each product page is mounted. Because they usually know what they host, they are able to identify and act on specific pages.”
“itch.io is an open `user-generated content’ platform. With more than 2 million product pages, anyone can publish content at any time, almost without a threshold. We cannot rely on the labels provided by the users for sufficiently precise targeting, so a broader review is necessary for thorough scrutiny.”
Since these changes were implemented, the government has been working on the issue.Payment service providers like Visa and Mastercard also received a lot of e-mails and phone calls.The aim is to resist the ban on adult content. The International Association of Game Developers (IGDA) also issued a statement condemning the move.
