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The indie-focused open gaming marketplace Itch.io has abruptly deindexed adult content from its browse and search pages, warning that some games will be permanently removed from the platform. In a blog post on Thursday, Itch.io creator Leaf Corcoran said that the update was due to concerns that the website’s payment processors had “about the nature of certain content” hosted on the platform, following similar scrutiny against Steam.

“Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform,” said Corcoran. “To ensure that we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate steps towards compliance.”

While Itch.io hosts a variety of gaming content, adult and pornographic titles are often among the top-sellers on the platform. Content creators who host their work on Itch.io were given no warning ahead of the decision. “We know this is not ideal, and we apologize for the abruptness of this change,” said Corcoran. It’s unclear if customers are currently able to access games and visual novels that they had paid for prior to the update. We’ve reached out to Itch.io for clarification.

Itch.io has yet to provide full guidance for creators that outlines the content that will be permitted on the platform following this change, but notes that creators will be required to confirm that their NSFW content abides by any rules set by their account’s payment processors. That is, of course, providing that this doesn’t cause a Tumblr-esque mass exodus of users who may now be looking for an alternative service to host, sell, and buy NSFW games.

“We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors,” said Corcoran. “Pages will remain deindexed as we complete our review. Once this review is complete, we will introduce new compliance measures.”

The indie-focused open gaming marketplace Itch.io has abruptly deindexed adult content from its browse and search pages, warning that some games will be permanently removed from the platform. In a blog post on Thursday, Itch.io creator Leaf Corcoran said that the update was due to concerns that the website’s payment processors had “about the nature of certain content” hosted on the platform, following similar scrutiny against Steam.

“Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform,” said Corcoran. “To ensure that we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate steps towards compliance.”

While Itch.io hosts a variety of gaming content, adult and pornographic titles are often among the top-sellers on the platform. Content creators who host their work on Itch.io were given no warning ahead of the decision. “We know this is not ideal, and we apologize for the abruptness of this change,” said Corcoran. It’s unclear if customers are currently able to access games and visual novels that they had paid for prior to the update. We’ve reached out to Itch.io for clarification.

Itch.io has yet to provide full guidance for creators that outlines the content that will be permitted on the platform following this change, but notes that creators will be required to confirm that their NSFW content abides by any rules set by their account’s payment processors. That is, of course, providing that this doesn’t cause a Tumblr-esque mass exodus of users who may now be looking for an alternative service to host, sell, and buy NSFW games.

“We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors,” said Corcoran. “Pages will remain deindexed as we complete our review. Once this review is complete, we will introduce new compliance measures.”

The indie-focused open gaming marketplace Itch.io has abruptly deindexed adult content from its browse and search pages, warning that some games will be permanently removed from the platform. In a blog post on Thursday, Itch.io creator Leaf Corcoran said that the update was due to concerns that the website’s payment processors had “about the nature of certain content” hosted on the platform, following similar scrutiny against Steam.

“Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform,” said Corcoran. “To ensure that we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate steps towards compliance.”

While Itch.io hosts a variety of gaming content, adult and pornographic titles are often among the top-sellers on the platform. Content creators who host their work on Itch.io were given no warning ahead of the decision. “We know this is not ideal, and we apologize for the abruptness of this change,” said Corcoran. It’s unclear if customers are currently able to access games and visual novels that they had paid for prior to the update. We’ve reached out to Itch.io for clarification.

Itch.io has yet to provide full guidance for creators that outlines the content that will be permitted on the platform following this change, but notes that creators will be required to confirm that their NSFW content abides by any rules set by their account’s payment processors. That is, of course, providing that this doesn’t cause a Tumblr-esque mass exodus of users who may now be looking for an alternative service to host, sell, and buy NSFW games.

“We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors,” said Corcoran. “Pages will remain deindexed as we complete our review. Once this review is complete, we will introduce new compliance measures.”

The indie-focused open gaming marketplace Itch.io has abruptly deindexed adult content from its browse and search pages, warning that some games will be permanently removed from the platform. In a blog post on Thursday, Itch.io creator Leaf Corcoran said that the update was due to concerns that the website’s payment processors had “about the nature of certain content” hosted on the platform, following similar scrutiny against Steam.

“Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform,” said Corcoran. “To ensure that we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate steps towards compliance.”

While Itch.io hosts a variety of gaming content, adult and pornographic titles are often among the top-sellers on the platform. Content creators who host their work on Itch.io were given no warning ahead of the decision. “We know this is not ideal, and we apologize for the abruptness of this change,” said Corcoran. It’s unclear if customers are currently able to access games and visual novels that they had paid for prior to the update. We’ve reached out to Itch.io for clarification.

Itch.io has yet to provide full guidance for creators that outlines the content that will be permitted on the platform following this change, but notes that creators will be required to confirm that their NSFW content abides by any rules set by their account’s payment processors. That is, of course, providing that this doesn’t cause a Tumblr-esque mass exodus of users who may now be looking for an alternative service to host, sell, and buy NSFW games.

“We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors,” said Corcoran. “Pages will remain deindexed as we complete our review. Once this review is complete, we will introduce new compliance measures.”

Sony has today announced it’s investing 68 billion yen (~$464 million) into Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco, which will see it acquire 2.5% of the overall business.

As a result of the investment, the two companies have signed a “strategic partnership” that will see them collaborate on “expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world”, and work on “new and emotionally moving experiences for fans, and as a result of these efforts maximize the value of IP”.

The press release continues:

“Bandai Namco and Sony have historically collaborated on various projects in the fields such as games, anime and music, and they plan to extend this collaboration to a broader range of areas.”

“The two companies intend to implement initiatives including the expansion of works as well as products and services based on IP developed by Bandai Namco, leveraging Sony’s strengths in areas such as the production and distribution of anime and other video content, as well as merchandising. They also plan to engage in detailed discussions regarding the joint development and promotion of IP such as anime and manga, in addition to planning and technical collaboration on experiential entertainment.”

In the past couple of years, Sony has also invested in the company that owns Dark Souls and Armored Core developer FromSoftware, known as Kadokawa. This saw the two firms also sign an alliance to again “maximise IP”. While Bandai Namco doesn’t own FromSoftware, the company has published its games for generations now.

More recently, Sony has allowed Bandai Namco to re-release classic PlayStation titles like Freedom Wars and Patapon onto PS5, PS4, and other consoles such as Nintendo Switch. Bandai Namco is also working on Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots for PS5 and Switch 1.

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