GTA, Duke Nukem, and Saints Row are the "true" targets of this current wave of censorship
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<DRM-free games storefront ZOOM Platform, which specialises in older PC games, released a statement titled “Preserving and Protecting Artistic Freedom” on 2 August 2025, claiming that one of their payment processors reached out to notify the site of concerns similar to those affecting itch.io and Steam:
<“One of our payment processors made us aware that a ‘fellow member of the industry’ was concerned about our content. After we heard from the payment processor, we immediately engaged in lengthy discussions with both PayPal and Stripe.”
<ZOOM Platform went on to say that they began working with these processors to “develop a tripartite solution” to their concerns. This solution includes the implementation of opt-in Two-Factor Authentication for customers, alternate payment processors and options, and a “wallet system” that allows users to add funds directly to their ZOOM Platform account and spend on the site’s products.
<ZOOM Platform said this solution was developed to “ensure the right to free speech and freedom of expression as well as protect the safety of our valued customers and partners,” and later in the statement maintained that they “have no plans to remove any titles, and will do absolutely everything in our power to prevent such de-listings. We are fervent supporters of artistic freedom and always will be.”
<A few days after ZOOM Platform posted its statement, a representative told GamingOnLinux that they expected delistings to grow, and that, in discussions at ZOOM Platform, titles like “Grand Theft Auto, Duke Nukem, and Saints Row were described as potentially at risk.”
<ZOOM Platform does not currently offer GTA or Saints Row games, though it does appear to be the only online marketplace that offers Duke Nukem 1, Duke Nukem 2, Duke Nukem 3D, and Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project – all four games make up the platform’s best-sellers.
<Update, 6 August 2025 : A spokesperson for ZOOM Platform provided the following clarification to This Week in Videogames:
<“In the course of our discussions with the payment processors, going over the content contained within games on our store, including the Duke Nukem franchise, we were made aware of loosely defined language, rules from credit card companies, that could include Duke Nukem’s portrayal of women.”
<“When we pressed for more details, given that such language cast a wide net, we were told that Grand Theft Auto, and similar titles such as Saints Row, could very well fit this description.”
<Regarding its initial published statement, ZOOM Platform said that “with the advent of the UK’s Online Safety Act, the potentiality for censorship is vastly increasing. We simply wanted to share this information, so that the public would be informed.”
Every fucking time, they want to go after the same fucking games
>Visa & Mastercard Overwhelmed by Gamer Backlash After Censoring Adult Games
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<What started as a quiet “moral cleanup” targeting extreme adult games has escalated into a full-scale revolt. Following pressure from “activist” group Collective Shout, payment processors like Visa and Mastercard reportedly pressured digital storefronts such as Steam and Itch.io to delist or hide adult content—including games with BidenBTQ+ themes, which is ironic as the people who support such “efforts” are known to push censorship towards games with traditional feminine sex appeal.
<But now the companies are being flooded with coordinated complaints from those looking to oppose this censorship. According to a report from Polygon, gamers are using call-in scripts and mass email templates to jam up Visa and Mastercard’s customer support systems, demanding they stop acting as moral gatekeepers for legal, digital entertainment. It’s gotten so bad that reps are reportedly “overwhelmed” by the volume of messages.
Oh, sure, people go after these groups NOW , but not when it doesn't effect the games and media they don't like.
>If you don't like Nintendo's controversial game key-cards, you can now let the company know directly
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<UPDATE : Survey has been deactivated.
>Western audiences growing tired of “formulaic” Disney titles is what paved the way for Japanese anime, Toei Animation veterans say
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<Speaking to President Online, Tatsuya Nagamine, a veteran anime director at Toei Animation (who directed Dragon Ball Super: Broly and much of the One Piece anime) says that the reason why Japanese anime has become so big on a worldwide level is because it offers “eccentric” works. “Right now, only Japanese animation offers bizarre stories where you truly can’t predict what will happen next.”
<Nagamine compares the position of Japan in animation to that of France in haute couture. “Japanese anime creators are like French designers. You could say the whole world is anxiously waiting to see what kind of strange creations they’ll put out next.” On a more practical note, he also mentions the importance of Japanese anime predominantly being produced for television. As airing shows rotate every three months, there is a constant turnover of new titles that satisfy a wide range of tastes.
<As an antithesis to Japanese animated works, Nagamine cites the works of Disney and similar Western studios, which he considers to be formulaic. “I think overseas fans of animation are already tired of predictable Disney-style works.” Ironically, Toei has at occasions been referred to as “The Disney of Asia” for how it pioneered animation production in the region.
<Toei Animation’s producer and adviser Shinji Shimizu doubles down on this perspective, commenting, “Japanese anime comes from comics. There is great care put into the characters. Disney, on the other hand, has predetermined storylines, and there is always a happy ending. In Japanese anime, you may see a protagonist die halfway through, or a villain turn out to be a hero – it’s made to be satisfying even for adults.” Although anime is a large-scale commercial export, its roots lie in the niche realm of manga, which has been relatively free of restrictions. Shimizu suggests that this is what compelled “US audiences, who grew tired of Disney” to turn to anime.
<But despite how global it has become, Toei’s veterans consider that the appeal of anime lies precisely in its Japaneseness. Shimizu comments, “What the world is paying attention to in anime is Japanese culture, but not things like kabuki or sumo. It’s everyday life.” Citing examples such as Western viewers’ fascinations with the school and campus life of students in Japan, he concludes that Japanese anime has found success by visually presenting aspects of Japanese life that don’t exist overseas.
<On the other hand, an aspect of anime that has changed with the medium’s expansion into the global market is undoubtedly the production scale and costs. Although competition between domestic studios is also a factor, Nagamine says that audience expectations are why anime has become so much more detailed with time. “If the quality isn’t high, you can’t win, and when you consider [the demands of] the overseas market, you have to keep raising the quality.” Kadokawa, another big player in Japan’s anime industry, has similarly shared plans to shift to higher budget production, which it considers a necessary condition for achieving global commercial success.