Steam cracks down on some sex games to appease payment processors

In a significant shift, Valve has updated its content guidelines for Steam, tightening its previously flexible rules regarding adult games. This change appears to be influenced by pressure from payment partners. On Tuesday, Valve introduced a new rule in the 'Rules and Guidelines' section of its Onboarding Documentation, which now prohibits any content that might violate the standards set by Steam’s payment processors, card networks, banks, or internet service providers. The guideline specifically mentions restrictions on certain types of adult-only content, but lacks clarity on which specific materials are included in this new ban. Following the update, SteamDB observed that the new rule's implementation coincided with the removal of a number of titles from the platform. Many of these games featured themes related to incest, as well as others that included imagery associated with slavery or imprisonment. Valve is not alone in facing external constraints on its content policies. In 2022, Visa halted all transactions related to Pornhub's advertising network after allegations surfaced regarding the site's involvement with child sexual abuse materials. Similarly, PayPal has consistently barred transactions for file-sharing sites and VPN services due to piracy concerns. This trend highlights the growing influence of payment processors on content regulation across various platforms.