Welcome to Video Games Weekly from Engadget, where Jess Conditt shares insights on gaming trends alongside key stories from the past week.
The recent surge in video game censorship has been widely misattributed to a conservative Australian activist group. While this group led a successful campaign in April to remove the game No Mercy from Steam, evidence shows they had minimal impact on the broader mass removal of adult games from Steam and Itch.io.
The controversy intensified after payment processors like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal began scrutinizing the PC gaming market. On July 16, Steam introduced a new policy banning content that violated payment processor standards, including certain adult material, leading to the removal of hundreds of games. Soon after, Itch.io de-indexed about 20,000 adult and NSFW titles.
The Australian group claimed responsibility for some Steam bans via email campaigns and open letters to financial companies. However, there’s no concrete evidence linking their efforts to the payment processors’ actions. Industry players have deflected accountability:
- Valve blamed Mastercard.
- Mastercard cited legal obligations.
- PayPal followed Mastercard’s lead.
Meanwhile, the activist group seeks to capitalize on the situation despite distancing itself from broader game removals. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and others recommend directing criticism toward powerful financial institutions rather than small activist groups.
This episode raises concerns about restrictive influences from conservative groups opposed to sex work, queer rights, and creative expression. The current climate endangers vulnerable communities and limits bold artistic voices in gaming.
Notably, some games were mistakenly reported as removed, including Mouthwashing, Trials of Innocence, and Console Me. Meanwhile, the psychological horror title VILE: Exhumed was unjustly delisted; its developer has since released the game independently at no cost.
Other industry news this week includes:
- BioShock 4 reportedly failed a recent review at publisher 2K Games and is undergoing a narrative overhaul. Leadership changes have also occurred at developer Cloud Chamber. Additionally, 2K canceled its BioShock remake earlier this year, while original series creator Ken Levine works on a new first-person shooter, Judas.
- GOG protested censorship by offering 13 adult-themed games free from August 1 to 3, reaching over one million players.
- Itch.io partially reversed its delisting of adult games, relisting free titles while continuing audits of adult content. Its payment partner Stripe will no longer process transactions for sexually explicit games but may revisit this stance.
- EA confirmed multiplayer content for Battlefield 6.
- The UK’s Online Safety Act has driven platforms like Discord and Xbox to implement new age verification systems, with Microsoft using the UK rollout to guide future global deployments.
- Sony has sued Tencent over Light of Motiram, citing it as a blatant clone of the Horizon series.
- Raven Software, a Call of Duty support studio, ratified its union contract with Microsoft, marking a significant step in video game labor organizing following Microsoft’s acquisition of the studio.
For more updates or to share tips with Jess Conditt, contact her via email, Bluesky, or @jesscon.96 on Signal.