Payment processor Mastercard has attempted to distance itself from the wave of NSFW game bans on Steam and Itch.io. 

In a statement on its website, the company wrote that it hadn't directly been involved in this wave of content censorship, instead pointing to its own rules that dictate what consumers can and cannot use Mastercard to buy. 

"Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations.

"Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law. Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content."

In a statement to Kotaku, Valve clarified that it had not spoken to Mastercard directly on the matter, saying that concerns over NSFW content had come via 'payment processor and banking intermediaries'. 

“Mastercard did not communicate with Valve directly, despite our request to do so,” a rep for Valve said. 

“Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks. Payment processors communicated this with Valve, and we replied by outlining Steam’s policy since 2018 of attempting to distribute games that are legal for distribution. Payment processors rejected this, and specifically cited Mastercard’s Rule 5.12.7 and risk to the Mastercard brand.”

For those curious, rule 5.12.7 dictates that stores or consumers can't use Mastercard for illegal activities.