From now on, developers may only publish new adult content on Steam as verified DLC and may no longer submit it via updates.
The air is getting thinner for adult games on Steam: In the future, new adult content may no longer be submitted via regular updates, but must be published as standalone DLC.
The next step in the fight against adult games
A developer from Crimson Delight, who released a game called Tales of Legendary Lust: Aphrodisia on Steam, made the new rule public via a Reddit post. During the review process for their game, they were informed that adding adult content after release would no longer be possible via patch.
Valve no longer allows « Post-launch NSFW content » for games on Steam – outside of DLCs.
by
u/DwingRD in
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“As far as I know, before the whole Collective Shout situation, adult games could still add NSFW content even after launch. But during the review process, we were told that this is no longer the case.”
The reason for this is less to do with Valve itself and more to do with the payment providers: Since the Australian activist group Collective Shout put pressure on credit card companies such as Visa and Mastercard, they have been paying closer attention to the content they allow to be billed via Steam.
The credit card companies, in turn, are passing on the pressure to platforms such as Steam and Itch.io. In order not to jeopardize business relationships, Valve is adjusting its rules, and the new DLC policy now appears to be a compromise to keep the games on the platform while meeting the requirements of its financial partners.
Developer defends Valve
Surprisingly, the developer is full of praise: Instead of passing the buck to Valve, he emphasizes the fair communication during the review process and shows understanding for the dilemma the platform finds itself in:
“The review staff member was friendly and accommodating, we didn’t feel threatened or harassed in any way. You could tell they were doing their best to help developers navigate the process.”
The developer emphasizes that Valve could have simply removed the 18+ section from Steam – instead, they made a conscious decision to stand up for the developers. And that’s despite the fact that sales of adult games are negligible compared to the rest of the gigantic catalog. This makes him value the decision all the more as a sign of genuine goodwill.