Hundreds of adult games have just been removed from Steam

According to Digital Trends , the giant Valve has just made a shocking move in the gaming community and developers when it quietly removed hundreds of adult games from the Steam platform. This move not only raises concerns about stifling creativity but also reveals the pressure from increasingly tightening global legal regulations.

Adult games with 18+ content are being tightened on Steam

Valve has quietly updated its Steamworks policies to ban content that violates the terms of payment processing partners. The primary target is “certain types” of adult-oriented material that lacks a warning label or an appropriate age-restriction system.

The immediate consequence was that hundreds of games classified as "extreme" were quickly removed from the store, including prominent names with sensitive topics in series such as "Interactive Sex".

PHOTO: TUMBLR SCREENSHOT

Analysts say Valve’s policy change is closely related to the UK’s Online Safety Act, which requires digital platforms to proactively monitor and remove harmful content. This regulatory pressure not only directly impacts Valve, but also payment networks, forcing them to become more stringent about the products they support for transactions.

However, the most worrying thing right now is the ambiguity on Valve's part. The company has yet to provide any clear explanation of the new rules, leaving developers, especially indie studios that specialize in exploiting thorny topics, in a state of confusion and "guessing" themselves.

As the Online Safety Act steps up enforcement, adult content on all digital outlets is expected to come under even more scrutiny.

This isn’t the first time Valve has made a sudden policy change. In the past, the Steam platform has also taken a hard line on extremist content or controversial “season pass” packs. However, this “purge” is considered large-scale and has a profound impact on creative freedom in the gaming industry.