itch.io Removes Explicit Titles from Its Platform

Indie game storefront itch.io has initiated a broad, unannounced purge of adult-oriented games and assets, following pressure from major payment processors and advocacy groups. Hundreds of titles have been removed outright, while thousands more have been “deindexed”—hidden from search and browsing—pending a full compliance audit.

Background: Payment Processor Pressure and Advocacy Campaigns

On July 24, 2025, creators and users first noticed that explicit games were disappearing from public listings. By early Thursday, itch.io confirmed via a blog post that all adult NSFW content had been removed from search pages. The move was driven by a campaign led by Collective Shout, an Australian nonprofit targeting the “objectification of women and sexualization of girls.” Their open letter specifically named Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Stripe, and Payoneer for facilitating transactions on platforms hosting games depicting sexual violence, incest, and child sexual abuse.

Policy Details: What Content Is Affected?

1. Sexualized imagery or video of real-life humans
2. AI-generated content designed to mimic real people
3. Glorification of sexual violence, rape, incest, and bestiality
4. Depictions of minors or minor-presenting characters in sexual contexts
5. Any material violating PayPal, Stripe, or Payoneer Acceptable Use Policies

Pages for suspended titles now display a standard notice: “This game’s files have been suspended by an itch.io administrator.” Users report that previously purchased games are temporarily unavailable for redownload.

Technical Implementation: Content Audit and Deindexing Mechanisms

itch.io’s engineering team is conducting a comprehensive audit of more than 100,000 user submissions. Key technical components include:

• Search Indexing: Built on Elasticsearch, the platform marks flagged records with an nsfw_flag and issues DELETE calls to remove them from the public index.
• Payment API Compliance: Integration with Stripe and PayPal involves real-time policy checks via webhook callbacks. Non-compliant content triggers account suspension workflows under PCI DSS standards.
• Audit Logs: Every content review is logged for traceability, capturing reviewer_id, timestamp, and policy_section references in a secure, tamper-evident ledger.

AI and Automated Moderation Tools

To scale the review process, itch.io is evaluating AI-driven image and text classifiers. These tools leverage convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and natural language processing (NLP) to detect:

• Explicit imagery exceeding a NSFW threshold based on NudeNet models
• Textual references to prohibited themes using GPT-based content filters
• Metadata anomalies (e.g., mislabeled tags, suspicious file names)

Dr. Elena Cruz, Content Moderation Specialist at Trust & Safety Research, commented: “Automated systems can flag high-risk content quickly but require human oversight to avoid false positives—especially in artistic or educational contexts.”

Impact on Developers and Marketplace Dynamics

Independent developers who relied on itch.io’s lenient NSFW policies are facing sudden visibility loss. Titles like Chord Progressions and Consume Me—the latter addressing eating disorders—are deindexed despite no sexual content. Affected creators report:

• Declining monthly downloads of 60–80%
• Revenue holds as funds accumulate in non-payout escrow
• Lack of appeal mechanisms—policy violations are permanent

Bowser Puma, developer of Chord Progressions, said: “My visual novel’s visibility is gone overnight. I have no timeline for reinstatement or refunds for backers.”

Industry-Wide Implications and Future Outlook

itch.io’s swift action follows similar policy tightening at Steam in June 2025, where dozens of incest-themed and prison-slave simulators were removed. This trend underscores a broader shift: major payment processors are enforcing uniform content policies across all storefronts to mitigate reputational and legal risk.

Looking ahead:

• Platforms may adopt tiered content-hosting models, segregating high-risk NSFW sections behind additional age verification layers.
• Developers might explore decentralized payment solutions or blockchain-based micropayments to circumvent centralized policy constraints.
• Regulators in the EU and US are considering stricter age-verification laws for sexual content online, potentially mandating real-name checks.

Developer Guidance and Best Practices

For creators adapting to the new landscape, experts recommend:

• Reviewing each title against PayPal and Stripe Acceptable Use Policies.
• Implementing clear age-gating and content warnings in metadata and descriptions.
• Maintaining off-platform backups and alternative distribution channels (e.g., personal websites, GitHub Releases).

itch.io apologizes for the abrupt changes and requests patience as it completes its audit. For now, NSFW creators should monitor their dashboards for compliance flags and prepare for potential removals.