Recently, Valve revealed that it was experiencing monetization issues on its gaming platform, Steam, due to alleged pressure from its network of payment processors following a campaign by activists demanding the takedown of adult-themed content. Now, Valve has shared a message with customers that clarifies issues regarding the processing of PayPal transactions for some of its Steam players. After the recent crackdown on NSFW video games, only six currencies are still supported for PayPal transactions on Steam.
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Players had recently noticed difficulties processing PayPal transactions, with some Steam users posting screenshots of messages stating that PayPal was experiencing unexplained technical issues. It was suspected that the PayPal issue was related to the recent delisting of several adult games, but the connection was not definitive. However, a new message found by users trying to use PayPal to purchase games has shed some light on the payment problems.
“In early July 2024, PayPal notified Valve that their acquiring bank for payment transactions in certain currencies was immediately terminating the processing of any transactions related to Steam,” the message said. “This affects Steam purchases using PayPal in currencies other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD, and USD.”
The message continued by expressing hope that additional currencies would be available in the future, apologizing to customers, and stating that the timeline for resolving this issue was “uncertain.”
This statement from Valve marks the latest development in the ongoing cultural debate over game censorship, the potential harm of adult games, and the influence exerted by payment processors. Although Steam has asserted that a form of pressure from “payment processors and their related card networks and banks” was the reason for suddenly removing certain adult-themed content from their service, some payment processors have pushed back against that assertion.
“Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions on game activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations,” said a Mastercard statement responding to the controversy. “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 adult illegal content.”
Despite denials of direct pressure, Valve has continued to assert that its struggle to retain payments, in this case with PayPal, is related to banks and card processors. A Valve spokesman told Rock, Paper, Shotgun that its PayPal issues were “related to what we’ve previously commented on surrounding Mastercard.”
“In this case, one of PayPal’s acquiring banks decided to stop processing any Steam transactions, which cut off PayPal on Steam for a number of currencies,” a Valve spokesperson explained.
It’s hard to say where the story will go from here and if PayPal transactions will eventually be restored to Steam users with now unsupported currencies. Since the situation exploded into the public spotlight a month ago, it doesn’t seem like much progress has been made on a resolution between the various parties involved.
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