We need your support more than ever. Adult Game Creators under attack! :-( (Patreon)

Hello :-(

It looks like we’re going to need your support more than ever.In case you haven’t heard the news yet: after Steam started removing numerous adult games, itch.io is now also beginning to restrict NSFW content!

What happened?

An activist group called Collective Shout has pressured payment providers like Mastercard and Visa to take action against adult content. In response, these providers have started putting pressure on platforms like Steam and itch.io, forcing them to restrict adult games.

As a result, many adult games have already been removed from Steam. And just today, itch.io followed suit by (at least for now) completely removing adult content from search results!

Itch.io was our most important platform for reaching new Patrons.Now, our page views have suddenly dropped to nearly zero.We honestly don’t know how we’ll be able to promote our game effectively going forward.

How is Relicts of Aeson affected?

Thankfully, it’s unlikely that our game will be completely removed from itch.io.The strict rules set by payment providers have already been in place on Patreon for a long time, and we’ve always made sure to follow them carefully. What’s happening now is basically an extension of those rules to other platforms like itch.io.

However, losing itch.io as a marketing tool is a major blow.Other platforms simply don’t have anywhere near the same traffic or visibility.Most likely, in the long run, a new platform will have to emerge within the adult games scene—one that can take over the role itch.io used to play.

Who’s to blame?

Surprisingly, not really the payment providers themselves.As far as we know, they were forced to monitor the content being paid for through their infrastructure due to a court ruling.This legal decision dates back several years and already led to a major overhaul of many adult websites.You may have noticed that so-called "amateur content" disappeared from many adult sites some years ago. That was a direct consequence of the ruling, since with amateur content it was often impossible to verify whether all parties had truly given their consent.

Now, the activist group Collective Shout is using that ruling to pressure payment providers—who, in turn, are pressuring platforms like Steam and itch.io.

What can you do?

Honestly, not much—except to continue supporting the adult games you love.We truly appreciate every single new Patron, and every single person who chooses not to cancel their membership.Please keep in mind: it's going to be much harder for us to reach new people going forward.

Thank you all for your ongoing support <3

Link to the itch blogpost: https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content