Australian anti-NSFW lobbyists Collective Shout have targeted online game stores, including Steam and itch.io, for abusive sexual content. The censorship has spread beyond adult porn, as any mention of criminal or consensual related acts has affected M-rated games.
The controversy greatly affected payment providers, including Mastercard and Visa. Collective Shout’s campaign has not prompted these companies to inform the public. Their protection practices disrupted game creators and consumers. The lobbyists’ feminist stance shows they will only target intellectual properties that specify women being sexualized. What boundaries have the group broken that attracted opposition?
Australia’s Internet Age Verification
For years, the Australian government has been developing methods to promote internet safety and graphic censorship. The Guardian reported on July 22 that engineers are working to implement age verifications within the country’s internet structure. Officials who support the protocol believe it’s necessary to prevent anyone under 16 from accessing pornography sites.
However, the government wants to expand it into search engines. The verification process will require an ID check and facial recognition. Australian Greens senator David Shoebridge opposed the idea because no elected parliament should be involved with handling the task.
“We can’t vote [to guarantee age verification will increase the safety for the children of Australia]. That, combined with the lack of public input, is a serious issue.”
The Australian government planned to finalize and implement age verification in December 2025. Collective Shout saw the initiative as an opportunity to target Australia’s NSFW gamer demographic.
Collective Shout Targets Itch.Io and Steam
The world’s largest game developer platform, Itch.io, sent out the following announcement to its consumers and creators on July 24:
“We have “deindexed” NSFW content from our browse and search page. […] Recently, we came under the scrutiny [of the organization Collective Shout]. [The lobbyists contacted our payment processors, concerned about certain content from Steam and our platform].
Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on [Itch.io]. To ensure we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all creators, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate action to comply. […] The situation developed rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform’s infrastructure.”
Itch.io refers to Collective Shout’s order to payment providers to prevent consumer purchases of harmful adult games. They sent an open letter to these companies on July 11. The anti-NSFW lobbyists seek to weed out games that include incest, rape, and other incriminating sexual acts.
Earlier, on April 10, No Mercy, a game that incentivizes players to commit rape, was banned and removed globally. Developer Zerat Games attempted to justify the incentive as a work of fiction. The game was viewed as “a sick, deranged fantasy” that violated the UK’s Online Safety Act of 2023.
However, Collective Shout’s actions came with repercussions. According to The Gamer, the organization wrote the letter after claiming Steam refused their request to ban adult games. Valve followed Rule 15 of their distribution guidelines, which states they will remove harmful NSFW content. The merchant developer removed 27,000 titles. These games are planned to be added back into Steam if they do not contain the suspected content.
Two of the world’s leading payment providers, Mastercard and Visa, received backlash for declining customer purchases. Consumer complaints centered on mature games that contain mentions of nudity. The gamer community soon retaliated as Collective Shout violated their purchase rights and violated the Australian Payment Standards.
The Feminist Organization’s Claims Crumble
The week worsens for Collective Shout as they made claims that NSFW games are being marketed towards children. It was quickly debunked as payment providers recognized they were trying to censor beyond this age group.
While the organization aimed to stop content that could influence incriminating sexual acts, they also want to censor LGBTQ+ friendly games. The lobbyists also do not show interest in halting harmful NSFW games that portray male sexual abuse.
A PayPal spokesperson responded to Collective Shout with their Acceptable Use Policy. The payment provider states that all transactions require approval to avoid suspicious activity and efforts to bypass their business infrastructure. The organization argues that NSFW game developers make a profit by promoting abusive acts. If a customer or merchant attempts incriminating activity, PayPal will immediately suspend their account.
Finally, an ongoing Change petition has exposed that the feminist organization has supported Cuties, a film that sexualizes 11-year-old girls. The petition was greenlit after Collective Shout sent their open letter to Steam and Itch.io’s payment providers. As the Internet continues to evolve, the fight for online privacy, safety, and censorship is far from over.
