GOG recently introduced a new platform offering 13 games for free, which were previously removed from other digital storefronts. In a press statement, GOG and participating publishers declared this initiative a protest against the silent removal of creative content from online markets.
The giveaway, accessible at FreedomToBuy.games, provides these games free for 48 hours. Most of these titles are sexually explicit and were recently delisted. The site also invites other developers and publishers to contribute their games to this protest.
GOG stated in their press release that as an archival platform committed to preserving gaming history, they believe legal and responsibly developed games should remain accessible indefinitely. They further explained that FreedomToBuy.games aims to highlight a critical issue: delisting games due to discomfort makes their future revival significantly more challenging.
The controversy surrounding sexually explicit games began in July, when thousands were suddenly delisted from Steam and Itch.io. These removals stemmed from pressure applied by payment processors such as Mastercard and Visa, urging storefronts to eliminate games with sexual content.
Payment processors, in turn, faced pressure from Collective Shout, a conservative anti-pornography organization, which issued an open letter on July 11. Collective Shout reportedly targeted games depicting `rape, incest, and child sexual abuse,` urging members to contact payment processors. Experts term this approach “financial censorship,” where financial intermediaries are used to bypass platform regulations, jeopardizing sellers` operations. This campaign led to hundreds of Steam games and over 20,000 “not safe for work” games on Itch being removed (Itch has since started re-listing some NSFW titles if developers opt to offer them for free).
The delistings immediately provoked a strong backlash, with many developers and players viewing it as payment processors overstepping by dictating accessible content to adults. Numerous developers claimed their games were caught in the purge due to LGBTQ+ themes or explorations of sensitive subjects like sexual abuse, rather than explicit pornography.
In response, players and developers have utilized social media to exert pressure on payment processors, decrying the actions as censorship. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) issued a statement advocating for “clear rules, fair warnings, and the right to appeal” in such scenarios, directing developers to contact Visa and Mastercard directly and support ACLU and Change.org petitions against payment processor censorship.
Mastercard and Visa both released statements asserting they do not make moral judgments on partner merchandise, but hinted at potential illegality being central to the issue. Mastercard stated it has not evaluated specific games or imposed restrictions on creator sites, contrary to media reports. They clarified that their network adheres to legal standards, permitting all lawful transactions while requiring merchants to prevent the use of Mastercard for illegal purchases, including unlawful adult content.
Visa conveyed a similar stance to Polygon, noting they demand “enhanced safeguards” from merchants associated with a higher risk of illegal activity. Visa emphasized that they do not pass moral judgment on legal consumer purchases and do not moderate merchant content or track specific goods in transactions. However, for legal merchants facing an “elevated risk of illegal activity,” they require banks supporting them to implement enhanced safeguards.
Importantly, no formal claims of illegality have been made regarding any of the games removed from these platforms.
GOG`s FreedomToBuy.games website opens with a statement seemingly countering the legality argument:
Some games vanish. Not because they broke the law but because someone decided they shouldn’t exist. For 48 hours, these games are free, because if a game is legal, you should be free to buy it.