LOS ANGELES—Valve Corporation, the parent company of popular gaming website Steam, recently announced that "certain kinds of adult content” have been banned on the platform in a clear bow to payment processors, financial institutions and the major credit card companies.
404 Media's Emanuel Maiberg reported Wednesday that the company updated its guidelines due to demands from its partner payment processors and financial institutions. The move is the latest example of financial discrimination and censorship against forms of sexual expression.
The policy change is currently published under onboarding documentation for developers and publishers who choose to market their games through Valve's Steamworks program. Steamworks is Valve's toolkit for developers and publishers to build out their game distribution model through Steam.
Listed under "What You Shouldn't Publish on Steam," the policy now prohibits "[content] that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers. In particular, certain kinds of adult only content.”
AVN searched through Steam to discover that several adult games are still available on the digital storefront, including PC titles such as Amarillo's Butt Slapper, Sankaku Renai: Love Triangle Trouble, and the visual novel Porno Empire.
It is worth noting that Steam has banned some adult-themed games that featured taboo subject matter, including incest, according to Eurogamer.net.
