Valve has amended the developer onboarding rules for Steam, adding language that bars “content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers.” The wording singles out “certain kinds of adult-only content,” expanding the platform’s long-standing prohibition on illegal material and what it calls “straight-up trolling.” Developers say the change effectively hands greater control over Steam’s catalogue to financial institutions such as Visa, Mastercard and the banks that clear their transactions. SteamDB tracking shows a wave of removals in recent days, mostly targeting games with incest-related themes. Similar pressure from card networks forced Pornhub, OnlyFans and other adult platforms to tighten content policies in 2020-21. Advocacy groups and some studios warn that vague references to adult material could result in broader “financial de-platforming,” potentially sweeping up LGBTQ-themed titles that are often mislabeled as explicit. Valve has not publicly commented on how it will interpret the new guideline or whether further takedowns are planned.