Adult games–and games with adult themes–have been delisted from digital game sales portals Steam and Itch.io recently, following pressure from companies that process those platforms’ payments to remove them. After an extended period of silence on the matter, Mastercard has released a statement and says that its recent actions are based on the “rule of law” and aren’t an attempt to enforce censorship.
“Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations,” the company said. “Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law. Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.”
It’s worth noting that there has been no evidence that the games removed from Steam and Itch.io included illegal content, and for an even deeper breakdown, Wired and CBC have detailed timelines on the entire situation so far. Visa also put out a pre-written response to complaints (via Polygon), adding that it didn’t aim to “make moral judgments on legal purchases” and that it was also adhering to the letter of the law.