Steam Is No Longer Allowing Adult Games In Early Access

"Your app has failed our review because we're unable to support the Early Access model of development for a game with mature themes,"

"The general rule is that your game should be about 65% done before doing EA. Well, we are about 70% done so the time was right anyway. But now, all of a sudden and without a policy announcement, the rules have changed and now I can't join Steam EA."

"Heavy Hearts is still available on Itch, but you'll never be able to search it, because it is de-indexed. I made a free demo page that you can find though. Itch.io was 50% of my games revenue. It's how I paid my artists and other partners. I still have Patreon and Subscribestar, they are keeping the game afloat, but it won't be enough in the long run."

Valve is changing storefront rules so that games containing mature themes are ineligible for Steam Early Access. Dammitbird's Heavy Hearts, an adult action RPG with explicit sexual content, was rejected from Early Access under the new enforcement. Heavy Hearts was previously de-indexed on Itch.io, cutting discoverability and revenue; the developer reports losing roughly half of revenue from Itch.io and relying on Patreon and Subscribestar. Anti-porn lobbyists are pressuring payment processors used by storefronts, escalating deplatforming risk for adult creators. The changes threaten distribution, monetization, and livelihoods for developers of adult-themed games.

Read at GameSpot