Overview

• Mastercard’s August 1 statement asserted it has not evaluated any games or imposed content restrictions on creator platforms.
• Valve says intermediaries relayed Mastercard’s Rule 5.12.7 to Steam, prompting removal of adult titles over brand-risk concerns.
• Rule 5.12.7 prohibits transactions deemed illegal or potentially damaging to Mastercard’s goodwill, encompassing content beyond legal obscenity limits.
• Following its mid-July deindexing, Itch.io reindexed free NSFW games while auditing paid titles and seeking new payment partnerships.
• Collective Shout’s open letter spurred the initial crackdown and groups including the ACLU are now calling for clear moderation guidelines and appeal processes.