Earlier this month, a set of payment processors, including Visa and Mastercard, forced video game marketplaces to remove thousands of adult video games from their storefronts.

The financial companies forced gaming marketplaces Steam and Itch.io to remove their library of Not Safe For Work (NSFW) video games, or else customers would be prevented from using their credit cards to make purchases on the platforms.

Itch.io was forced to “deindex” its entire NSFW library, saying it was vital to “ensure we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers.”

“This is a time critical moment for itch.io. The situation developed rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform’s core payment infrastructure,” a spokesperson for the gaming platform said. “Unfortunately, this meant it was not realistic to provide creators with advance notice before making this change. We know this is not ideal, and we apologise for the abruptness of this change.”

Steam, meanwhile, reportedly removed hundreds of titles from its storefront and has since enacted policy changes

Visa and Mastercard’s ultimatum against Steam and Itch.io was met with heavy backlash from those arguing that the move is a slippery slope towards payment processors “controlling what we watch, read, or play.”

Why are Visa and Mastercard forcing NSFW game bans?

Both Visa and Mastercard made the demand towards Steam and Itch.io after facing pressure from the anti-pornography group Collective Shout.

The right-wing Australian lobby group issued an open letter on 11 July demanding that the payment processors take action against the gaming platforms after highlighting a video game featuring themes of rape and sexual assault. It called for all NSFW games to be banned as a result.

A spokesperson for the organisation wrote that it believed adult content on both platforms to be too “distressing” to be left open for the public, demanding the credit card companies take action immediately.

“We request that you demonstrate corporate social responsibility and immediately cease processing payments on Steam and Itch.io and any other platforms hosting similar games,” they continued.

In response, both organisations demanded that the marketplaces remove their NSFW library or they would rescind the right for customers to buy products using their credit cards.

In a statement on the situation, Itch.io creator, Leaf Corcoran, wrote that its hand had been forced while apologising for the “sudden and disruptive change.

He added that a “comprehensive audit” would take place and that all NSFW-labelled titles would be deindexed – made unavailable to locate on the website’s storefront – until the review was complete.

Visa and Mastercard face overwhelming backlash

The decision prompted major worldwide backlash from the site’s users, as well as other groups arguing that the decision amounts to “moral policing.”

One petition, which has nearly 200,000 signatures at the time of reporting, argues that the move amounts not just to “overreach,” but “blatant hypocrisy.”

“Adults are capable of choosing what they want to watch, read, or play,” the petition continues. “If someone doesn’t like a certain type of entertainment, the solution is simple: walk away.

“Nobody is forced to engage with content they find offensive, but they have no right to dictate what others are allowed to enjoy, especially when it’s within the bounds of the law.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) similarly blasted the move by Visa and Mastercard, writing in a petition with over 155,000 signatures that the policy “only applies to websites that host adult content – when all available evidence indicates that these problems proliferate across all kinds of sites.”

The petition continues: “In reality, all Mastercard’s policy actually does is make it harder for platforms to host adult content – destabilizing the websites that sex workers use to make a living … Sex workers’ livelihoods shouldn’t depend on the whims of corporations.”

In the wake of the controversy, both payment companies are reportedly receiving an overwhelming number of complaints via email and phone calls, according to Polygon.

One user in a now-deleted post on Reddit reportedly said they called customer service teams for both payment processors and was told they were already aware of the problem.