Valve pushes back after Mastercard denies quashing adult content on game platforms
Mastercard said it has not ‘evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms,’ but Valve begs to differ.
Payment provider Mastercard has denied forcing video game platforms such as Steam and Itch.io to restrict the sale of adult and NSFW content.
Valve and Itch recently curtailed the sale of adult content and said they were acting at the behest of payment services. Indie marketplace Itch specifically claimed those companies had been targeted by a pressure group called Collective Shout, which professes to be fighting back against the "increasing pornification of culture."
Itch has since started reindexing some free adult content, but explained it initially made the change to "prioritize our relationship with our payment partners."
Valve issued a similar statement, and said it must comply with the "rules and standards" set forth by its payment processors that prohibit "certain kinds of adult only content."
Over the weekend, Mastercard published a brief statement in an effort to distance itself from the furore.
"Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations," it wrote.
"Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law. Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content."
Valve claims Mastercard rejected its existing policy of striving to only sell titles that are 'legal for distribution'
In a statement sent to Kotaku, however, Valve claimed Mastercard used intermediaries to express concerns about the sale of adult content on Steam.
"Mastercard did not communicate with Valve directly, despite our request to do so," Valve told Kotaku. "Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks. Payment processors communicated this with Valve, and we replied by outlining Steam's policy since 2018 of attempting to distribute games that are legal for distribution. Payment processors rejected this, and specifically cited Mastercard’s Rule 5.12.7 and risk to the Mastercard brand.
Rule 5.12.7 states that merchants "must not submit to its Acquirer, and a Customer must not submit to the Interchange System, any Transaction that is illegal, or in the sole discretion of the Corporation, may damage the goodwill of the Corporation or reflect negatively on the Marks."
"The sale of a product or service, including an image, which is patently offensive and lacks serious artistic value (such as, by way of example and not limitation, images of nonconsensual sexual behavior, sexual exploitation of a minor, nonconsensual mutilation of a person or body part, and bestiality), or any other material that the Corporation deems unacceptable to sell in connection with a Mark," it adds.
A number of game industry advocacy groups and trade bodies have lambasted the decision to delist adult content. The International Game Developers Association described the move as a form of "creative suppression." As reported by Gamesmarkt, German association Game also expressed concern and said "any restrictions imposed by payment service providers or gaming platforms must not exceed the legal limits."