Valve has confirmed that it removed certain adult content games from Steam to comply with the requirements of payment processors. Previously, gamers speculated about this change in Steam’s content guidelines, and Valve’s statement clarified that payment companies approached the platform, necessitating the removal of specific titles.

Recently announced updates to Steam’s content guidelines indicated that games that didn’t adhere to the standards of payment processors, banks, and networks were to be removed. Following this announcement, users criticized the vagueness of the new guidelines, with a warning that developers should steer clear of publishing “certain types of adult-only content” without detailed specifics.

In a response to media like Eurogamer, Steam detailed that the adjustments stemmed from notices received stating that particular games breached the standards enforced by payment processors, card networks, and banks. The loss of these payment options could hinder customers from buying other games, prompting the decision to eliminate these adult titles from the platform. Reports suggest that over 100 games, many of which are labeled “incest-themed,” were taken down recently. Some indications from SteamDB suggested that this action might have been linked with PayPal, as users from certain regions lost access to this payment option for nearly five days, though this remains unverified.

Currently, it remains uncertain how these changes will influence other Steam titles that contain adult elements, particularly dating sims. While many adult-only games have been removed, Steam continues to host a large collection of such titles, many of which remain unaffected. Although some might face issues in the future, many are likely to survive these guideline changes. Additionally, it is unclear if these new payment processor regulations will only impact certain niche games, such as those flagged by SteamDB.

In summary, few games on Steam receive adult-only ratings, suggesting that the majority of releases will stay unaffected by these policy updates. However, many users have voiced worries on social media, fearing these changes may empower payment processors to censor content deemed controversial.