Early Access is the latest place where Steam is restricting games with mature themes

Valve has updated its Steam Early Access policy, no longer accepting games with "mature themes." This change comes in response to pressure from payment processors like Mastercard and Visa, who have been pushing for the removal of certain adults-only content from video game marketplaces like Steam and Itch.io. The new policy has resulted in the removal of hundreds of games, including some that are mostly text-based and have limited imagery, like the game "VILE: Exhumed." This has caused consternation among small independent developers, whose games have been affected. The issue stems from how card payments are policed, as stores like Steam and Itch.io don't contract with Visa or Mastercard directly, but with acquiring banks and processors that must enforce the card networks' brand-safety and anti-trafficking rules. This can lead to inconsistent policies and removals across different regions. The article concludes that the confusion will continue until policies on these platforms are made clearer, or payment processors relieve some of the pressure by clarifying their own standards.