During July 2025, digital storefronts Steam and http://itch.io took down hundreds of adult video games. This action followed an outreach push by a single advocacy organization, which directed approximately 1,000 phone calls and emails toward payment card networks. This shift occurred without any changes to statutory law. As Valve explained, risking the loss of card processing would completely disrupt all other customer transactions across the entire store. Ultimately, just two financial corporations hold the power to dictate the inventory a retailer is permitted to offer. #Payments #privacy

Sources: Valve press statement, Jul 2025 (reported by GameSpot and Brave New Coin); http://itch.io announcement, Jul 2025; Collective Shout's own claim of ~1,000 contacts; statements from the ACLU and EFF; Visa FY2026 proxy filing concerning state AG letters.