Two weeks after Valve confirmed it had removed a pile of NSFW games from Steam due to pressure from credit card companies, and one week after Itch.io followed suit, Mastercard released a statement denying any responsibility for the takedowns. The company claims it allows all lawful purchases.

“Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations.” - Mastercard statement.

Mastercard emphasizes that it requires merchants to ensure that cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content. The situation becomes complex, however, as both Valve and Itch.io specified that pressure from payment processors was the reason behind the removals.

Valve made an attempt to communicate directly with Mastercard prior to the games’ removal but claims that Mastercard’s rules were applied indirectly through payment processors, impacting the decision-making process.

“Mastercard did not communicate with Valve directly, despite our request to do so. Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks…” - Valve representative.

Mastercard’s Rule 5.12.7, which relates to preventing transactions that may damage the brand, is cited as part of the issue regarding the removal of games that have legal content in many regions, including the US. Yet, the fine line between legality and appropriateness remains as subjective numerously across different markets.