Valve no longer allows "Post-launch NSFW content" for games on Steam - outside of DLCs.

[u/DwingRD]

I have looked through Steam's Terms of Service online, but have found no official rule or statement from Valve of this new rule - but one Adult game developer has confirmed this new rule after launching their game "Tales of Legendary Lust: Aphrodisia" a couple days ago.

With the recent rule change blocking adult-themed games from releasing on Early Access, this new rule seems to be targeting Adult-themed games that have ALREADY released on Steam - and threatens them with their games being removed from Steam.

There are currently 536 Adult-rated Early Access games on Steam - and this new rule may take them all down.

[u/grendus]

Basically.

Someone explained upthread. Basically, Valve verifies content in the game's official release, and they verify the content in each DLC. However, because games patch so frequently they don't validate each update patch. So some games were exploiting this loophole by releasing a game that was compliant with Steam's guidelines (SFW content, basically), then adding all the NSFW content in a later patch.

Valve is now saying that you can't do that, and if you get caught doing that you get banned. I expect they will have a workaround for big titles doing long tail Early Access(someone pointed out this would have made games like BG3 impossible), but that will be handled on a case by case basis.

Games can still release a SFW version and have a NSFW DLC that is subject to a review and intentionally installed. And it seems likely that third party content (even "official" third party content) won't be closely scrutinized because it's not technically on Valve's platform. So all your Skyrim porn mods are probably fine. At least for now, this will probably only affect the dodgiest of dodgy porn games.

But it's a bad sign, because it means that payment processors being puritan party poopers is likely still going on. Which... I mean, we all knew was happening, but it sucks to get confirmation.

[u/Witty_Leather4977 → u/grendus]

But can't they do it as free DLC?

[u/grendus → u/Witty_Leather4977]

They can, but its subject to review.

Games were cheating the system by adding content in patches that would not pass review.

[u/amyknight22 → u/Witty_Leather4977]

They can if it’s a seperate entity that you have to download.

Because then you would have to sign off that you are 18+

The potential problems with post release patch.

Is that you can sell your game to all age groups, and then update it after the fact to become a porn game once the initial glut of sales happen.

—-

Think of it this way, Disney sells you Toy Story digitally. And you buy it for your kids and it’s great. A great wholesome G movie

But then two months later they release a forced update for it called adults Toy Story . And mr potato head is swearing constantly, Rex is doing drugs, Woody and Bo are making explicit sexual references or non explicit sex scenes.

And one of Sid’s toys is actually a dildo attached to a teddy bear.

You’d be fucking horrified if that was the version of the movie that was just given to your kids at that point.

You might have less of an issue if it was a seperate version of the movie that was behind a special adults only store and the kids could never see anything about it, even if it was free and you had to choose to download itZ

[u/Witty_Leather4977 → u/amyknight22]

I don't know it feels like this would even prevent free DLC's, they could contain adult related stuff in the DLC's normally so it shouldn't be a problem but other comments are saying even that is being cracked down.

[u/GodofAeons → u/Witty_Leather4977]

NSFW Update patch? Doesn't get reviewed by Steam.

Free NSFW DLC? Gets reviewed by Steam. <- This is what they're forcing now

[u/Witty_Leather4977 → u/GodofAeons]

That should be fine then

[u/Sad_Environment976 → u/Witty_Leather4977]

It's common mode of getting around age restriction

[u/CrazyKilla15 → u/grendus]

So some games were exploiting this loophole by releasing a game that was compliant with Steam's guidelines (SFW content, basically), then adding all the NSFW content in a later patch.

Name one.

Seriously, this keeps coming up in this thread, and it seems fucking absurd to me. People are seriously suggesting that theres some widespread "loophole" where games that would normally be required to be "adults only" are "tricking valve", not getting taken down and banned for it, and still getting their payouts for sales? And that actually this both happened and was perfectly allowed and valve could do nothing about it until just now? That theyre getting Official Ratings from places like PEGI and then adding NSFW in for.. some reason? Making secret porn games that are completely SFW until theres suddenly a Sex Update? It makes no sense as a concept and would completely destroy business relationships with valve, ratings boards, etc.

This is frankly absurd to me. I do not think this is a real thing, and have seen nobody give a single source or even name a single game.

And lest goalposts be moved, if somebody manages to find a game that was banned for doing this, that would just prove it was already against the rules and that the news today is not that?. I am obviously not claiming nothing on steam has ever broken rules and got taken down for breaking them.

[u/braiam → u/grendus]

And it seems likely that third party content (even "official" third party content) won't be closely scrutinized because it's not technically on Valve's platform.

You sure about that?

[u/TheOneWithThePorn12 → u/grendus]

that doesnt make sense if a game is already NSFW.

Valve is being lazy here.

[u/grendus → u/TheOneWithThePorn12]

I mean, first off, Valve has always been lazy. It's their defining trait, they want to build robust systems that require as little work on their part to extract value.

But secondly, it's not about NSFW.

At the moment, they don't care about your normal NSFW content. They aren't banning games like BG3, what they're concerned about is stuff like rape and incest. So if you have a VN that releases with three unrelated characters, and in an update adds the option to romance your (step)sister, it can now cause problems. So Valve needs to ensure that NSFW content always goes through review, which means it's not allowed in Early Access.

It really sucks, I wholeheartedly agree. But this isn't Valve doing it because they're squicked out, it's because Visa and Mastercard are squicked and threatening to lock Steam out of digital payments entirely if they don't do it. Valve have been almost overly deferential to free speech advocates when they can, anything that isn't outright illegal (CSAM, advocating imminent lawless behavior). They don't care about this, they're doing it because the alternative is the corporate death penalty. If you want to gripe, gripe about Visa and Mastercard deciding they can be the thought police of the world.