Video Games News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

- Image of A young woman intently gaming, Courtesy of RDNE Stock project via pexels

To Develop Adult-Themed Games, Nitroplus Must Navigate a New Digital Purge

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By David Gilbert | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 12:26 PM ET

These days, developing adult-themed games is becoming a lot more complicated, and it’s all because of some unexpected gatekeepers: payment processors. To put it simply, companies like Visa and Mastercard are using their power over online financial transactions to pressure digital storefronts into removing adult-oriented content. So, how are developers’ concerns actively reshaping what gamers can buy and play?

The Silent Delisting of Adult Games

In response to this pressure, major platforms like Steam and Itch.io have already caved in, quietly removing certain adult-themed games to stay in the good graces of these financial giants. Although this problem may seem new to the Western world, this kind of pressure isn’t actually new at all. In fact, Japanese politician Zenko Kurishita stated that payment processors have been employing these same tactics in Japan for several years. As a result, creators find themselves stuck in challenging environments there long before this issue became a hot topic elsewhere.

Notable developers have been hit hard by this corporate policy, with Nitroplus being a prime example. The company is famous for iconic visual novels like Steins;Gate and Phantom of Inferno. In actuality, they created a separate brand called Nitro Origin several years ago, which handles their adult game projects. One of these titles includes their Nitro+Chirai series of boys-love games aimed at women. Nitroplus writer Vio Shimokura opened up about the difficult climate of developing these niche games in a recent interview with 4Gamer. Translated by Automaton, the writer confirmed that even Nitro Origin has struggled to release new adult-themed games lately.

Nitroplus Adapts to a Hostile Climate

Image of Nitroplus logo, Courtesy of Nitroplus

Given that Nitroplus has roots in this type of video game genre, this decision to restrict these specific games represents a significant shift. So how is the company adapting to these changes? According to Shimokura, they’re now considering publishing visual novels under their main Nitroplus brand instead. This strategic move will allow the company to circumvent the heightened scrutiny facing explicitly adult-focused labels.

However, payment processors and platforms aligning against them may make this strategy completely pointless. Despite the external pressures, Shimokura maintained a creator-focused philosophy. He sagely added that he intends to keep creating the things he finds interesting, regardless of how things turn out. Indeed, he’s not worried moving forward as he plans on dropping adult-themed games without overthinking cultural considerations or commercial barriers.

Developers Forced to Censor Themselves

This situation is part of a broader and unsettling trend, as Steam, for instance, continues to tighten its rules around adult-themed games. Even its most recent terms-of-service update specifically targets a common workaround used by developers. With this approach, they would release a censored, “safe for work” version of a game on the storefront, followed by a free post-launch patch that unlocks the adult content. Sadly, with this strategy no longer a viable option, it leads one to question: why the sudden change?

The move is widely seen as a direct response to pressure from Visa and Mastercard, who are ultimately reviewing and influencing platform policies. Consequently, adult-themed game developers are left in a bind, forced to choose between financial viability and creative expression. Now that payment companies hold this much sway, is the future bleak for niche genres? As the entire ecosystem changes, many developers feel like the walls are closing in.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: