Business Steam rules updated to prohibit content that violates rules set forth by payment processors and banks - Valve's rules regarding what developers "shouldn't publish on Steam" have a new clause regarding standards set forth by payment processors.

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Valve's rules regarding what developers "shouldn't publish on Steam" have a new clause regarding standards set forth by payment processors.

2025-07-16 17:17
Amber V

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Valve has updated its rules regarding content that developers aren’t allowed to publish on Steam (as reported by Game*Spark [archive]). The “Rules and Guidelines” section of Steamworks Documentation now has an extra clause, and it suggests that publishers are required to comply with rules and standards set forth by various third parties involved in processing electronic payments. The rule seems to be predominantly related to adult content.

What you shouldn’t publish on Steam:
15. Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers. In particular, certain kinds of adult only content.
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Prior to the update, the list included 14 clauses, prohibiting things like hate speech, malware, sexual content depicting real people and any form of exploitation of children. The new 15th clause suggests that Steam may additionally have to crack down on specific types of adult content in response to the requirements of payment processors and banks. There are currently no specific examples of what this may entail.

Update (2025/07/15 at 18:30 JST): According to SteamDB [wayback], a large number of games has been removed from the platform in the past 16 hours. Judging rom the list, it appears “sex simulator” type games with keywords such as “incest” and “slavery” make up the majority. There are some confusing cases like the removal of the Ace Attorney-inspired investigation game Trails of Innocence, although this could be a coincidental deletion.
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On a related note, various video game and manga hosting platforms in Japan have in recent years run into trouble with payment processors and credit card networks. Due to certain content on the platforms going against the (often undisclosed) rules and standards of third parties handling payments, the platforms ended up without support for credit card payment. This has led to loss of revenue and even the closure of platforms like Manga Library Z. It is possible that Steam’s new rule is a means to prevent such complications from arising, however, as the specific “rules and standards” of the payment processors are also unclear, publishers might need to be extra cautious with releasing their games on the platform.

Related articles: “It’s a security hole that endangers democracy itself.” NieR creator speaks out against payment processors pressuring Japanese adult content platforms

Visa Japan’s CEO says disabling card payment for legal adult content is “necessary to protect the brand”


Niche Gamer: Steam updates rules to comply with payment processor censorship (archive)
Wccftech: Steam Publishing Guidelines Updated With Clause Prohibiting Content That Violates Payment Processor and Bank Rules (archive)

Rock Paper Shotgun: Valve change Steam's rules to let banks and credit card firms prohibit "certain kinds of adult only content" (archive)
In particular, this could lead to a stifling of games that are in any way non-conforming, particularly given the current climate of repression in Valve's home country, the USA. I know about the rule change thanks to Youtuber and self-described former game developer NoahFuel Gaming, who has posted on Bluesky about the potential fallout for projects the banks and financial corporations consider "adult" because they deviate from reactionary framings of sex and gender. As the Youtuber writes: "Queer content gets flagged as 'explicit' even when it's PG. A trans dev making a personal story? 'Too controversial.' A surreal queer VN? 'Sexualized.' Financial deplatforming in action."
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GamesRadar: Steam now prohibits games that violate the "rules and standards" of payment processors, banks, and more, and users are worried it might affect more than just "certain kinds of adult-only content" (archive)
"Yeah... this is something that looks innocuous at first glance but it's a trojan horse," another believes. "LGBTQ+ has a habit of being mysteriously flagged as 'adult only.'" On ResetEra, similar points are being shared, as one writes: "Today it's porn games, tomorrow any game with LGBTQ+ content because it ends up labelled as 'adult.'"
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Notebookcheck: Steam tightens adult content rules after pressure from payment giants (archive)
As spotted [archive] by TheGamer, this triggered a mini-purge according to the Steam Database, with many problematic games such as "Incest Tales", "Wolf on Rail", "Sex Village", "Slave of the Police Officer", and many more, being delisted from the storefront.
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GamingOnLinux: Valve gets pressured by payment processors with a new rule for game devs and various adult games removed (archive)
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I remember at the start of this I was like "Gaben will never cuck, we're totally safe bros!"

Then Gaben proceeded to orally pleasure the credit card companies while they shit in his mouth and he begged for more

I bet that fat faggot made cash register noises every single time a curcumcized penis entered his anus
 
ChatGPT said:
I remember at the start of this I was like "Gaben will never cuck, we're totally safe bros!"

Then Gaben proceeded to orally pleasure the credit card companies while they shit in his mouth and he begged for more

I bet that fat faggot made cash register noises every single time a curcumcized penis entered his anus
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I get what you mean, but I also do not know what you realistically expected Gaben to do. If he didn't capitulate, then his entire business gets frozen out overnight with no feasible alternative to operate. And don't say "muh crypto", crypto is a fucking meme and worthless as an actual currency when almost nobody knows how to actually use it to purchase anything, and all of the normalfag friendly wallets are beholden to the exact same pressures as Steam is.

Really, the only thing I can say is that I wish Steam sued over the payment processor meddling, but considering that the Jews are going after them hard as fuck for beating a Rothschild in court, I can't really blame them for prioritizing more pressing concerns. Last I heard there are FIVE "lootbox" related lawsuits against Steam happening simultaneously, which I am sure is completely organic and not kike fuckery.
 
That brit music thing with Steam is insane in itself. Putting it in clearer terms for anyone who may have missed the full impact. If i am reading it right, they are making claims against Steam for any and all of their properly licensed music in games sold on Steam. Claiming that Steam owes royalties too! Seeing that typed out makes me rethink.. That CAN'T be what it actually is... right?

The Subscribe Star thing is fullest retard in both nature and detail (i.e. the banned list) Even fully humanized anthro characters with a human character is banned. I always suspected something like that was coming. Now it's wait and see if other platforms are forced to follow. Insanity!
Even more concerning is that they specifically state that regardless of artistic style, any character appearing to be a minor (<18) will be banned from "sexualized circumstances", not "sexual circumstances" but sexualized. As we've seen with other such bans, that could mean a 17 year old character in a full body swimsuit. And how do you determine the line for purely fictional products of imagination, set at a point where they are basically physically adults? I'll tell you how.. You don't. The only way around this is making all female characters (because let's be real, that's the only type they are talking about) middle age looking balloon tit monstrosities. Like the worst of the porn star look and all western premium adult animations and drawings.
 
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pikachudidnothingwrong said:
Even more concerning is that they specifically state that regardless of artistic style, any character appearing to be a minor (<18) will be banned from "sexualized circumstances", not "sexual circumstances" but sexualized. As we've seen with other such bans, that could mean a 17 year old character in a full body swimsuit. And how do you determine the line for purely fictional products of imagination, set at a point where they are basically physically adults? I'll tell you how.. You don't. The only way around this is making all female characters (because let's be real, that the only type they are talking about) middle age looking balloon tit monstrosities. Like the worst of the porn star look and all western premium adult animations and drawings.
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I get the impression that the those censorship bans is to force more TLOU2 Abby bodystyles in female characters in media, as they'll eventually move the goalposts to make it so that ANY depiction of an actual woman would be considered sexualized and needs to be censored.
 
Dudes, I just want to download the Sex With Hitler games onto my PC while defending my cannabis grow room with my genderfluid AK-47. Stop oppressing me, you fags.
 
The UK music suit IS as ridiculous as it sounds. They are literally trying to get Steam to pay up for offering games with already licensed music in their online shop. Double dipping kind of undersells the true nature of this bullshit. This is literally equivalent to suing Walmart because they sell these same games in their stores and don't also pay to license the music. It IS THAT INSANE!

Also noticing Valve getting hit with a lot of suits suddenly from everywhere. Soon after their win against the patent troll uber rich/elite family, not playing along with global ID/doxxing schemes and being open to exploring ways to circumvent attempts to censor mature content out of existence. All seems pretty sus


Thiletonomics said:
I get the impression that the those censorship bans is to force more TLOU2 Abby bodystyles in female characters in media, as they'll eventually move the goalposts to make it so that ANY depiction of an actual woman would be considered sexualized and needs to be censored.
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Yup, that is a likely element at the very least.
 
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pikachudidnothingwrong said:
Yup, that is a likely element at the very least.
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It also isn't a coincidence that those efforts are ramping up after numerous uggo women media have failed, i.e. Concord, The Acolyte, the live-action Cowboy Bebop show, The Last of Us HBO show, Velma, Highguard. They see that audiences aren't buying those games or watching those shows, so they'll push them down people's throats even more forcefully.
 
pikachudidnothingwrong said:
Also noticing Valve getting hit with a lot of suits suddenly from everywhere.
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I think it was you (or maybe another poster in the gaming/sony thread) that I discussed this with months ago.

Valve are getting attacked because they will not join the gaming industry club of ruining gaming like Sony, Microsoft, EA etc. All of the industry are in lockstep with their moves to make the industry digital/streaming only while penny-pinching the customer and churning out terrible products. Valve won't go along with it so they're being attacked into submission.

SteamOS, Gabecube and their work with Proton - effectively rendering Windows useless in the gaming arena, are part of the reasons they're taking such flack.
 
(((They))) won't stop until STEAM bends the knee.

You will play the AAA slop
You will watch only the approved porn
You will read only the allowed manga

You will be happy.

That's the issue with progressives, especially the AWFL's, they think they're changing the world for the better but in reality they're just another tool of Globo-Homo to be used and then discarded once the goal is achieved.
 
Terrifik said:
another day another necro
target: FAKKU
same list & visa demanded
View attachment 8859376
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Non-consensual mutilation of a person or body part applies to basically every M rated game. I highly doubt the raiders I mutilated in Fallout consented to that.
Sweeter and Savoury said:
(((They))) won't stop until STEAM bends the knee.

You will play the AAA slop
You will watch only the approved porn
You will read only the allowed manga

You will be happy.

That's the issue with progressives, especially the AWFL's, they think they're changing the world for the better but in reality they're just another tool of Globo-Homo to be used and then discarded once the goal is achieved.
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The last rule can apply to a lot of AAA slop, though. If you expand the definition of person to include humanoids, you could argue zombies are being harmed without their consent.
 
Terrifik said:
another day another necro
target: FAKKU
same list & visa demanded
Click to expand...

Oh great.. They really are being comprehensive.


Terrifik said:
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Bullshit.. How does people selling/buying things hurt you? It's none of your business! ESPECIALLY when you are basically a monopoly with the power and market control to literally tell multi billion dollar companies to do what you say or die?! We really need financial services neutrality laws. They need to be treated like utilities such as water, power and phone. Same with internet.
 
games with sexual content that include people who appear underage have never been allowed on Steam. that was the only restriction on day one. "totally 18 year old high school students" were never even allowed. the extra restrictions in this article were for games with incest and rape. but thanks for proving once against that people who obsess about loli are retards who love sucking payment processor cock guy with dumb annoying username
 
I don't approve of the RAMPANT pornslop on steam, but fuck these fags for telling people they can't buy it if they want it. It's always control, every single time. It's the same suffering and slow drowning of censorship. Small things, small steps. Nobody cares about the gooners, but when they're done with the gooners? Who's next?
 
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