Following backlash over a recent marketplace crackdown on adult-themed games—reportedly linked to pressure from payment processors—Mastercard issued a brief statement Friday countering the media narrative.
“Mastercard has not evaluated any game or mandated restrictions on content hosted by game creators or platforms,” the company said. “However, we require merchants to implement safeguards that stop people from using our cards for illegal purchases, including unlawful adult content.”
Advocacy Group Criticizes Payment Giants for Allowing Sales of Games Featuring Sexual Abuse Themes
The statement comes in response to an open letter from advocacy group Collective Shout, which called out Mastercard, PayPal, Visa, and others for enabling the sale of titles like No Mercy, which contains depictions of rape, incest, and child sexual abuse.
In the weeks that followed, Steam announced it would ban games that violated the policies of its “payment processors and related card networks and banks.” Around the same time, Itch.io began removing adult content from its browse and search features while launching a wider content review.
Although Mastercard’s statement appeared to challenge the idea that payment companies were behind the crackdown, Steam’s parent company Valve issued a response, shared with PC Gamer and other outlets.
Valve claimed, “Mastercard did not contact Valve directly, despite our request. Instead, Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks, who then relayed the information to us. We responded by reaffirming Steam’s long-standing policy, in place since 2018, of distributing only legally permitted games.”
Valve Says Payment Processors Cited Mastercard Brand Risk
According to Valve, that response was rejected. Payment processors cited concerns about “risk to the Mastercard brand” and referred to a Mastercard rule barring “illegal or brand-damaging transactions.”
Meanwhile, Itch.io stated that it is in the process of re-indexing free adult content games as it negotiates with payment processors like Stripe. Stripe, in turn, said it cannot support sexually explicit content because of restrictions from its banking partners.
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