Mastercard denies pushing censorship on games, but Valve refutes with opposing arguments
As some of you may recall, a few weeks ago Steam announced it would remove a large number of adult-themed games, citing the need to comply with rules from payment processors and card networks. The move triggered backlash from the gaming community, with many accusing companies like Mastercard and Visa of censoring the types of content users are allowed to purchase. In response to the controversy, Mastercard recently issued a short statement denying that it evaluated or demanded restrictions on any games or platforms, claiming it only requires merchants to block illegal purchases.
Valve, however, disputed that claim, stating that Mastercard never contacted them directly, and that concerns were passed through payment processors and banks. The company said it explained its policy of only allowing legally distributable games, but this was rejected. According to Valve, intermediaries cited reputational risk and specifically pointed to Mastercard Rule 5.12.7, which prohibits transactions that are illegal or that the company considers damaging to its brand. This includes material deemed offensive or lacking serious artistic value. Stripe also confirmed it doesn’t support explicit content due to limitations from its banking partners.
Other platforms have also expressed concern over what they view as financial censorship. itch.io removed adult content from browse and search while re-indexing free titles during ongoing negotiations with payment providers. In the other hand, GOG.com and several adult game publishers launched the FreedomToBuy.games campaign last weekend, offering 13 adult-themed games for free for 48 hours to oppose the quiet removal of legal content and defend creative freedom.
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- Free • Proprietary
Related news
External links
- Clarifying recent headlines on gaming contentMastercard • Official source
- Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down, but Valve says payment processors 'specifically cited' a Mastercard rule about damaging the brandPC Gamer
- GOG and game publishers launch FreedomToBuy.games to raise awareness on censorship in gamingGOG Pressroom
- Mastercard denies pressuring game platforms, Valve tells a different storyTechCrunch
- Valve pushes back after Mastercard denies quashing adult content on game platformsGames Industry
- Steam Hits Back At Mastercard Over Adult Game Ban ControversyTheGamer
Comments
And what is preventing a user from buying Steam credit with their Mastercard/Visa, then using the Steam credit to purchase...whatever.
Gift cards have nothing to do with it. if you can't accept payments at all, then you can't accept payments for gift cards.
I'm not arguing your point, you are correct.
But what's it any business of the payment processor for other items a merchant sells? If Mastercard/Visa doesn't want X category of games sold by Steam through their payment network, all Steam should have to do is flag the X category as "not purchasable via these payment methods". Meanwhile any other payment method (gift cards - digital or otherwise) remain valid.
As much I hate visa and mastercard, is ironic that gog and valve are calling censorship, they blindly obey the CCP demands of censorship
Companies should accept banks and offer a "cash" discount.
How about they just process the payment, take their cut, and stfu?
Look, somebody must have watched Shimoneta and what happened... They ARE trying to CANCEL Japanese altogether:
Hope those censorship never stand a chance to notice the Holy Grail of this all:
Touhou Project and ask ZUN to take the game down...
The confusion seems to come from the definition of "illegal" for MasterCard, that may depend of the country of the buyer. MasterCard, Visa and Valve being US companies, and Collective Shout (the activist group fighting against the "increasing pornification of culture", the same that wanted to ban Snoop Dogg and Eminen) is Australian (a country already banning adult content with women having too small breast), it's possible that MasterCard and Visa are pressured by this group to ban adult games only in Australia, and not Worldwide as Stream pretends to. However, the targeted games seem to be mostly about rape, incest and child sexual abuse, which is certainly already illegal in many countries.
I wonder how is behind this comment?