PayPal Cuts Off Steam Transactions From Many Countries’ Currencies In Midst Of NSFW Debacle
If your PayPal support has gone dark on Steam, you’re not alone, as the payment processor has cut off a massive number of currencies on the gaming platform due to an ongoing dispute about supposedly unacceptable content.
Through a Rock Paper Shotgun inquiry, it’s been confirmed that Paypal will only accept the American dollar, Canadian dollar, British pound, the Euro, and Australian dollar. All other currencies have been cut off, and other payment processing methods will be required.
On the Purchasing Issues page, on Steam Valve outlines the current situation, explaining that the “timeline is uncertain” for amending this, but they are “also evaluating adding additional payment methods on Steam for the customers affected by this.”
RPS also confirmed with Valve that this is directly due to “regarding content on Steam,” directly referencing a conservative pushback against “sexually violent” pornographic content online, with groups’ campaigns recently targeted at payment processors, specifically Visa, Mastercard and Stripe. Valve notes that PayPal claimed that “one of PayPal’s acquiring banks decided to stop processing any Steam transactions, which cut off PayPal on Steam for a number of currencies.”
These processors have been subject to demands to stop servicing targeted platforms such as Steam and Itch, a smaller site which was especially known for supporting 18+ content; Itch specifically has needed to de-list any “not safe for work” content in the wake of new requirements from these payment processors. The ordeal has sparked an ongoing controversy and outrage from developers, including for queer creators who note that, since queerness is seen as inherently sexualized regardless of actual sexual presence, censoring adult content will censor their work as well.
The ongoing fight evidently has repercussions for the greater games industry, as developers of all scales will need to reckon with both of these platforms’ monetization woes. As likely the biggest internet-based payment processor, PayPal is easily the most streamlined and secure way for most international users to pay for goods across borders, and chances are Steam, and developers throughout the world, may see losses from this issue.
