The current situation

It's earlier than usual for the weekly post, this time it is public because it is very important. Some of you might not be aware, but there is a lot going on in the adult gaming niche. I would go as far to call it another purge, with some forces really trying to shut adult (gaming) creators down once and for all, it seems.

Some of you have supported and/or followed the adult games movement for such a long time that they remember the time when a lot of creators disappeared forever because their content had been deemed as too offensive. And it hit hard that your favorite Femdom ASMR creator had to quit because someone said it is nonconsensual hypno content, but well, what can you do, right? Life goes on.

The current situation might seem similar to what happened years ago, but this time it is even worse. A group that call themselves Collective Shout has taken great pride and a victory lap on social media claiming that they forced the gaming platforms like patreon, itch.io and steam to act and ban nsfw content. They did it in a clever way, not talking to itch and steam and the other platforms directly, but instead going to the payment processors like Visa, Mastercard and Paypal. And since these processors have never been fans of adult content, this Collective Shout initiative seems like a welcomed excuse to go after the creators of this content, forcing the platforms to act. Itch.io has already put out a statement.

Currently, you can't find my games unless you have the specific link. And this sucks because I am not allowed to link to these games on most social media platforms, either. I have been informed that 7 of my 7 games are under review and the artbook is as well (and so is my account). But they can as of now still be downloaded and in general none of my games contains content that the initiative Collective Shout CLAIMS to go afterwards. But I've been there before and I know how much collateral damage this situation will most likely do.

I am doing what I can at the moment to survive the purge, but pretty much every dev i know is struggling with the situation. The good thing is that the internet is pushing back:

(yes, I am aware of the irony using AI meme slob for a problem situation for content creators :D)

If you could take 5 minutes of your precious time to take action and make your voice heard:

DON'T go after Collective Shout and their members, even if you're angry. That is what they want.
After their victory lab, Collective Shout went into hiding, but not without sharing their method of basically making 1000 phone calls to Visa, Mastercard and Paypal to force them to take action. I have already made phone calls as well (I don't have a Mastercard so not to them), since I am not only a dev but also a supporter of other adult games. And since it is my money I have the freedom to buy and support everything legal that I want! I would be thrilled if you would let them know as well. Just look up their hotline in your country.

There is also a petition which has gained some traction:
https://www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-what-we-can-watch-read-or-play
It also describes the core problem much better than I do with my limited english skills. For those who don't feel comfortable making a call but still feel like helping. Best is both.

Other than that, being vocal on social media, making your voice heard in general really helps here.

Edit: An email would also be a great option since I know most ppl don't want to make a call.

That's pretty much all I can say about it, if you see some of my content restructured you know why. I have so far complied with everything Patreon.com and Itch.io asked me to do so my content should not be in immediate danger but right now I don't even know what happens in the next few hours.

In dark times the kinky ones have to stick together :)

so stay kinky!