In recent months, the landscape of adult game development has faced significant challenges, particularly following the pressure exerted by the anti-porn advocacy group Collective Shout on payment processors. This has led to a tightening of policies surrounding the distribution of eroge, a term that refers to erotic games, which has left developers navigating a more complex environment.
Changes in Content Addition Policies
A developer from Crimson Delight recently shared their experiences on Reddit, revealing that they are now unable to incorporate new adult content into their existing titles on Steam unless it is released as downloadable content (DLC). They noted, “From what I know, prior to the whole Collective Shout situation, adult games could add NSFW content even post-launch.” However, during a recent review process, they were informed that this practice was no longer permissible.
The developer expressed appreciation for the reviewer’s approach, stating, “We didn’t feel threatened or bullied in any way, and we got the feeling they were trying to do their best to help devs navigate the process.” Despite this positive interaction, the underlying issue remains: Valve is under pressure from payment processors, leading to increasingly stringent rules regarding adult content.
For developers like those behind Summertime Saga, who frequently introduce new characters and storylines based on community feedback, the shift to a DLC model represents a fundamental change in their development process. Each new addition would need to be fully completed before release, which could stifle the freeform creativity that many eroge developers have come to rely on.
Interestingly, Crimson Delight does not hold Valve accountable for these changes. They remarked, “They could’ve simply nuked the 18+ section of Steam, but they didn’t; they stuck up for developers.” While adult games contribute to Valve’s revenue, the developers acknowledge that this segment is a small fraction of Steam’s overall earnings, with popular titles like Silksong likely generating far more income than most NSFW offerings combined.
Furthermore, the notion of circumventing these restrictions through cryptocurrency payments has been considered. However, Valve’s past experiment with this payment method in 2016 was short-lived due to rampant fraud, with Gabe Newell revealing that “50% of those transactions were fraudulent,” a staggering statistic that underscores the challenges of integrating alternative payment solutions in the gaming industry.
