In early 2024, I fell victim to a sophisticated Etsy scam. A fraudster posing as “Etsy Support” contacted me through a convincingly faked channel, claimed there was an issue with an order, and tricked me into “verifying” a payment. The result: €441.61 was drained from my account through a remote-access scam. Etsy’s official X (Twitter) account publicly confirmed the contact was fraudulent and advised me to file a chargeback with my card issuer. I did exactly that — I submitted chat logs, screenshots, the official Etsy confirmation, bank records — everything Mastercard requested.  

Mastercard denied the claim anyway.  
No explanation beyond vague “policy” references. No appeal process that actually works. Just €441.61 gone and a clear message: even with iron-clad proof, Mastercard will side against the consumer.

That single denial opened my eyes to a much larger pattern.

While researching why my legitimate fraud claim was rejected so easily, I discovered that the same company — Mastercard — has been quietly forcing digital stores to remove hundreds (possibly thousands) of perfectly legal adult games from Steam and itch.io throughout 2025. The mechanism? Mastercard Rule 5.12.7, which prohibits merchants from engaging in transactions that could “damage the goodwill” of the Mastercard brand, including certain categories of adult content — even when that content is entirely fictional, consensual, and clearly labelled 18+.[^1][^2][^3]

Valve (Steam) and itch.io both confirmed in July–August 2025 that payment processors explicitly cited Mastercard (and Visa) rules when demanding the removal or de-indexing of titles.[^4][^5] Mastercard issued a public denial, claiming they “do not dictate content” and only prohibit illegal material.[^6] Valve immediately pushed back, stating that processors had “specifically cited Mastercard Rule 5.12.7” when rejecting Steam’s existing content-moderation guidelines.[^7][^8] In other words: Mastercard says one thing publicly while privately threatening to cut off payment processing unless platforms comply.

The result has been devastating for independent developers:
- Hundreds of games suddenly delisted or hidden from search/browse on Steam and itch.io in July 2025[^9][^10]
- Solo and small-team creators lost their primary income overnight — some had years of work wiped out with no warning and no appeal[^11]
- Even games with no explicit imagery but “mature themes” (e.g., certain visual novels) were caught in the sweep[^12]
- Developers report being told “payment processors will no longer process transactions for this title” — leaving platforms no real choice[^13]

This is not about illegal content. This is private financial corporations acting as unelected censors of legal art and fiction.

We, the undersigned, demand four reasonable, achievable changes:

1. **Stop blocking legal adult games**  
   Allow platforms like Steam and itch.io to sell any content that is legal in the countries they operate in. Mastercard already permits R-rated and NC-17 films, adult toys, OnlyFans, and mainstream porn sites — games deserve the same treatment.

2. **48-hour refund guarantee for proven scams**  
   When a merchant (e.g., Etsy) and the victim both confirm fraud, Mastercard must process the chargeback within 48 hours instead of hiding behind vague “risk” policies that protect scammers.

3. **End payment blocking for legitimate adult titles**  
   Commit in writing that Mastercard will not threaten to withdraw processing services from platforms that carry legal 18+ games.

4. **$10 million Indie Developer Relief Fund**  
   Compensate creators who have already lost income due to the 2025 delistings and chargebacks caused by Mastercard’s policies. A one-time $10 million fund is a tiny fraction of Mastercard’s $17+ billion annual profit and the right thing to do.

Consumers deserve protection from fraud.  
Creators deserve to sell legal work without financial blackmail.  
Platforms deserve predictable rules instead of shifting goalposts.

Mastercard can fix this tomorrow — or they can face a coordinated, industry-wide boycott until they do.

Sign this petition. Share it with every gamer, developer, and consumer you know. Creative freedom and basic financial fairness are not negotiable.

#DeleteMastercard if they refuse.

[^1]: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mastercard-deflects-blame-for-nsfw-games-being-taken-down-but-valve-says-payment-processors-specifically-cited-a-mastercard-rule-about-damaging-the-brand/
[^2]: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/valve-pushes-back-after-mastercard-denies-quashing-adult-content-on-game-platforms
[^3]: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/valve-refutes-mastercards-denial-it-has-not-pressured-game-platforms-over-nsfw-content
[^4]: Valve statement, August 2025
[^5]: itch.io update on NSFW content, July 24, 2025
[^6]: Mastercard official statement, August 1, 2025
[^7]: https://kotaku.com/mastercard-denies-pressuring-steam-to-censor-nsfw-games-2000614393
[^8]: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/valve-point-to-mastercard-restrictions-as-the-payment-firm-deny-influencing-adult-game-removals
[^9]: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/jul/29/why-did-adult-titles-disappear-from-steam-itch-pc-gaming-payment-processors
[^10]: Multiple developer threads on Steam/itch.io forums, July–August 2025
[^11]: https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content
[^12]: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/106439/valve-silently-removes-incest-and-slave-adult-games-from-steam/index.html
[^13]: Direct quotes from affected developers across Reddit, Bluesky, and Steam forums, 2025