Disaster Valve responds to payment processor controversy, hopes devs “have another game” to put on Steam - Valve has notified the affected developers and offered App Credits

Article (Archive)

A couple of days ago, news broke of a rule change in Steam’s onboarding process for developers. Specifically, a change in the Rules and Guidelines section states that content violating “rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers” is restricted from being distributed on the platform.

Notably, this led to a large number of adult-only games to be removed from the platform, and while many agree that they probably don’t belong on Steam, Valve has faced criticism for bowing to the regulations of payment processors. Now, the company has responded to the issue – but don’t expect anything to change.

Valve is compensating devs affected by the rule change
Thanks to an update from the publication GamingOnLinux, which contacted Valve, we now have an official statement on the issue. Valve has essentially confirmed the situation and has been “directly notifying developers” affected by the change, going on to say it is “issuing app credits” to devs should they wish to continue distributing on Steam in the future.

We were recently notified that certain games on Steam may violate the rules and standards set forth by our payment processors and their related card networks and banks. As a result, we are retiring those games from being sold on the Steam Store, because loss of payment methods would prevent customers from being able to purchase other titles and game content on Steam.

We are directly notifying developers of these games, and issuing app credits should they have another game they'd like to distribute on Steam in the future.

Source: GamingOnLinux
App Credits are a currency on Steamworks for developers to publish content on Steam. Usually, there is a fee of $100 for “each new app” published on Steam, but developers can purchase App Credits to prepare for upcoming releases. So, with the loss of content (and therefore revenue), it seems that Valve is refunding devs and hoping they return with a game or app that complies with the guidelines set by payment processors or network providers.

While you may agree that these adult-only games don’t belong on Steam, PC gamers fear further restrictions being put in place. Censorship at the hands of payment processors, networks, or anyone else outside of Steam itself could be an issue going forward if these companies decide to alter their own rules and standards. Plus, the (seeming) lack of warning will catch devs off guard.

 

[666DEATHGAY]

If you can kill people in games why the fuck can't you rape people in them? Or get raped? Payment processors are wilding.

 

[TheRedChair]

Gabe, why? You used to be cool man.

Look at him lately? I think he's on Ozempic and drank the cool aid. IMHO Gabe never gave a shit. He like many others of the super rich only care of the money they bring in.

 

[Capsaicin Addict]

Stop blaming Valve, Steam, and Gaben. As infuriating as it is, this isn't their fault.

Put the blame where it belongs: on nanny-state worshippers in the payment processor companies. Make no mistake: this is only the first step.

 

[WelperHelper99]

They have enough money to hire lawyers that could raise enough of a stink that the Feds could weigh in and slap this shit down forever. Make payment processors common carriers.

The payment processors have more money and have better lawyers. Valve is chump change in comparison. They can't do shit. They are doing the only thing they can

 

[Blewberry Nausea]

Look at him lately? I think he's on Ozempic and drank the cool aid. IMHO Gabe never gave a shit. He like many others of the super rich only care of the money they bring in.

Still looks chonky.

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/gabe-newells-daily-routine-is-get-up-work-go-scuba-diving-says-hes-been-retired-for-a-long-time-but-works-7-days-a-week-the-things-i-get-to-do-every-day-are-super-awesome/

 

[not william stenchever]

The payment processors have more money and have better lawyers. Valve is chump change in comparison. They can't do shit. They are doing the only thing they can

I have a highly unrealistic idea but it would be fascinating to see it play out: Trump nationalizing Visa and Mastercard. I'm sure that if Teddy Roosevelt could see this shit then that's what he'd do. Would it make the world a better place? I have no idea. But at least if they tried this bullshit it would be actually attached to the government instead of a bunch of jumped up table jockeys acting as a de facto government with no recourse under the Constitution of the United States of America.

 

[Hamstirer]

know they're the biggest PC game store online but, what options did they have if VISA and mastercard pulled out?

They are probably big enough of a company that they Could make their own payment processer if they truly wanted to. But we all know that will never happen.

 

[Synthetic Smug]

Curious to see if this wine aunt infestation will lead back to ChiCom money.

I don't see Australians as having this much interest or initiative.

 

[WelperHelper99]

I have a highly unrealistic idea but it would be fascinating to see it play out: Trump nationalizing Visa and Mastercard. I'm sure that if Teddy Roosevelt could see this shit then that's what he'd do. Would it make the world a better place? I have no idea. But at least if they tried this bullshit it would be actually attached to the government instead of a bunch of jumped up table jockeys acting as a de facto government with no recourse under the Constitution of the United States of America.

Really not even that. The Government would need to undo what it did in the Patriot Act when it de facto deputized the banks and payment processors and made them criminally liable for transactions. That is the actually the problem. The P.P. have every reason to go after transactions that even look funny, or else it fucks them in the ass. If this wasn't the case, they wouldn't be doing this.

 

[not william stenchever]

Really not even that. The Government would need to undo what it did in the Patriot Act when it de facto deputized the banks and payment processors and made them criminally liable for transactions. That is the actually the problem. The P.P. have every reason to go after transactions that even look funny, or else it fucks them in the ass. If this wasn't the case, they wouldn't be doing this.

"Oh no, the government forced us to become a de facto breakaway government in and of ourselves. How horrible!" I really doubt that the C-suites of the payment processors are all that upset at the current state of affairs. We need to unfuckulate it.

 

[WelperHelper99]

"Oh no, the government forced us to become a de facto breakaway government in and of ourselves. How horrible!" I really doubt that the C-suites of the payment processors are all that upset at the current state of affairs. We need to unfuckulate it.

Well i'm sure they would be happy not to pay very expensive lawyers to research every obscure law on the books, and, you know, just process payments. My point is the government is the reason this is happening. The processors are the issue at the moment. It will keep happening unless the laws enabling it are obliterated.

 

[Blewberry Nausea]

It’s fun to see Reddit be all against debanking knowing they absolutely loved it happening to certain people before.

 

[Whoopsie Daisy]

Just pirate it. Payment processers can't interfere if you don't pay.

 

[PhoBingas]

Valve is a huge company, sure, one of the biggest in the video game space - but Visa is nearly 100 times their size and Mastercard is not much further behind. Not to mention it's been tried already several times over (when they hit OnlyFans, Pornhub, etc) so there's not much for Valve to do here.

Pornhub was full of actual CP like right up until they got sued and had to delete like three-quarters of their videos.

 

[rel=alternate]

The amount of money they would lose would be baffling just from having VISA and Mastercard freeze them out for the years this would take to get pushed through. Likely $40 billion dollars or more.

On top of that - Epic Games' Tim Sweeny would 100% personally blow the head of Visa and Mastercard (at the same time) and put in any restrictions they wanted just to try and steal market share from Steam.

Valve is a huge company, sure, one of the biggest in the video game space - but Visa is nearly 100 times their size and Mastercard is not much further behind. Not to mention it's been tried already several times over (when they hit OnlyFans, Pornhub, etc) so there's not much for Valve to do here.

Agreed, there is nothing they can do against these giants. Being big is only relative, and the payment processors could starve them so easily along the way, there would be no company left to fight for.

If they really wanted to, I guess they could create a splinter to house these games, and only take crypto. Or they could develop some form of internal currency that can also be swapped to currency for a sister site.

But that's a lot of effort for what I imagine is pretty niche.

Payment processors swing their dicks every once in a while, and there is nothing anybody can do to stop them.

 

[Made In Wales]

I get that most people on here won't care about football/soccer/kickball, but one of Steam's biggest sellers yearly is 'Football Manager'.

There's already strong rumours that there won't be any more games (FM25 was cancelled because they couldn't get the game to play on the Unity engine) and if big sellers aren't going to be on Steam in the future then it doesn't bode well.

Plus, some fans of the game stopped buying the game and others when Steam said 'you have to download the game, you aren't allowed a CD version anymore.'

 

[jertzog]

The amount of money they would lose would be baffling just from having VISA and Mastercard freeze them out for the years this would take to get pushed through. Likely $40 billion dollars or more.

On top of that - Epic Games' Tim Sweeny would 100% personally blow the head of Visa and Mastercard (at the same time) and put in any restrictions they wanted just to try and steal market share from Steam.

Valve is a huge company, sure, one of the biggest in the video game space - but Visa is nearly 100 times their size and Mastercard is not much further behind. Not to mention it's been tried already several times over (when they hit OnlyFans, Pornhub, etc) so there's not much for Valve to do here.

Sounds like it'll be cheaper then for Gaben to start Valve's own bank and payment system.

 

[Heed Not]

I know they're the biggest PC game store online but, what options did they have if VISA and mastercard pulled out? Have only bitcoin and other crypto currencies be accepted as a form of payment?
Don't get me wrong, I hate the fact that they cucked out like that but, the payment processors seem to have everyone by the balls now. There are very few places that can stand up to them and even fewer willing to.

They could have partnered with alon19 and started their own payment processor. That guy has 2 billion dollars in liquid capital and is looking to be a trillionaire.

 

[Mike Matei's Penis]

I don't see Australians as having this much interest or initiative.

You underestimate the insanity and spite of the feminists here

 

[Fatsuit Shinji]

Really not even that. The Government would need to undo what it did in the Patriot Act when it de facto deputized the banks and payment processors and made them criminally liable for transactions. That is the actually the problem. The P.P. have every reason to go after transactions that even look funny, or else it fucks them in the ass. If this wasn't the case, they wouldn't be doing this.

It started long, long time ago before the CIA, DIA and the numerous agencies even existed. During the Prohibition in the govt war against the mafias and Americans for not giving the govt every single cent they have.