Today, we are re-indexing free adult NSFW content . We are still in ongoing discussions with payment processors and will be re-introducing paid content slowly to ensure we can confidently support the
Steam’s bans were (as far as I’ve seen) far more targeted at content that is a lot tougher to defend. It’s a lot tougher to defend rape and incest content than just all porn and nsfw. Obviously it’s all fantasy and fiction, but it’s still more difficult.
Itch.io went full into banning everything labeled nsfw, LGBTQ, violent, etc. The fact that Steam had a much more targeting impact implies to me that they used their stronger position to negotiate prior to the ban rather than itch.io that banned first and is now trying to walk that back.
I can’t help but wonder if Itch is intentionally going for a malicious compliance route. As you say, it’s tougher to defend rape and incest content, so if they’d opened with that they likely wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much media attention. But by doing it this way, half the internet is talking about payment processors forcing itch to delist NSFW games, even giving juicy headlines like LGBTQ games being disproportionately affected. Then Collective Shout of all groups was forced onto the back foot and forced to say “wait no we just wanted the rape and incest games gone” but now that the story is out there it has a life of its own.
Even if they didn’t do it on purpose, it seems like it’s created a much more effective movement than if they had done it “properly”, regardless of the reason for why it worked out this way.
Steam’s bans were (as far as I’ve seen) far more targeted at content that is a lot tougher to defend. It’s a lot tougher to defend rape and incest content than just all porn and nsfw. Obviously it’s all fantasy and fiction, but it’s still more difficult.
Itch.io went full into banning everything labeled nsfw, LGBTQ, violent, etc. The fact that Steam had a much more targeting impact implies to me that they used their stronger position to negotiate prior to the ban rather than itch.io that banned first and is now trying to walk that back.
I can’t help but wonder if Itch is intentionally going for a malicious compliance route. As you say, it’s tougher to defend rape and incest content, so if they’d opened with that they likely wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much media attention. But by doing it this way, half the internet is talking about payment processors forcing itch to delist NSFW games, even giving juicy headlines like LGBTQ games being disproportionately affected. Then Collective Shout of all groups was forced onto the back foot and forced to say “wait no we just wanted the rape and incest games gone” but now that the story is out there it has a life of its own.
Even if they didn’t do it on purpose, it seems like it’s created a much more effective movement than if they had done it “properly”, regardless of the reason for why it worked out this way.