There's some big drama brewing in the PC gaming community after video game storefront Steam made one big change to its rules that resulted in the removal of numerous games.

The update has to do with Steam's payment processors and what they're comfortable supporting. Now, after Steam made the change, the gaming storefront Itch.io has followed suit.

So, what exactly did Steam and Itch.io change regarding payment processors, what did a group called Collective Shout have to do with it, and how is social media responding? Here's what you need to know about the viral controversy.

What Is Steam and Itch.io's Payment Processor Update, and Who Is 'Collective Shout'?

Back on July 11th, 2025, the purported feminist group Collective Shout, described as a "grassroots campaigns movement against the objectification of women," posted an open letter to payment processors like Visa, PayPal and Mastercard. This letter called on the companies to stop processing payments for gaming storefronts like Steam and Itch.io.

The reason for this is that the storefronts have some adult video games on them that feature things like incest and sexual violence.

Five days later, on the 16th, people noticed a new rule in Steam's "Steamworks Documentation" under the "What you shouldn’t publish on Steam" section of the document.

It reads, "Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers. In particular, certain kinds of adult only content."

It wasn't long before users began noticing some games being removed from Steam's storefront. A screenshot showing some of these games started spreading online, showing that the majority of them involved themes of incest.

This suggests that companies like Visa don't want to be associated with games covering this theme, resulting in their removal.

Recently, Itch.io has decided to follow in Steam's footsteps and take action against certain adult games to make payment processors happy. The company put out a statement about the decision, directly citing Collective Shout as the reasons behind the "drastic" move.

Now, Itch.io users are joining Steam users in revolt against the censorship of these games.

How Is Social Media Reacting To Steam and Itch.io's Payment Processor Updates?

A large number of Steam and Itch.io users and free speech supporters in general are standing up against the payment processor updates.

Many see Steam and Itch.io's decisions to so quickly do what the payment processors want as weak, cowardly and bad for the industry.

They believe that it sets a bad precedent, where even games that only delve into certain adult themes in small or nuanced ways might need to be censored if they want to go up on the sites.

Some also think that this move also gives too much power to payment processors, which is a concern that's been brooding for years now.

Meanwhile, many are pointing the finger at Collective Shout and blaming them for the whole thing, resulting in the group's social media accounts going private after the latest update by Itch.io, presumably to avoid the influx of backlash.

What Are Some More Reactions To The Steam and Itch.io Payment Processor Updates?

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For the full history of Steam Payment Processor Update / Collective Shout Controversy, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.