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Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

(www.pcgamer.com)
728 points freedomben | 2 comments | 18 Jul 25 15:54 UTC | HN request time: 0.002s | source
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egypturnash ◴[18 Jul 25 23:34 UTC] No.44611013[source]▶
Okay so is Steam enough of a money printer for Valve to say "well fuck you guys, we'll make our own credit card with hookers and bingo"? And hold out Half-Life 3 (only purchasable with the ValveCard) as a carrot?
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benoau ◴[18 Jul 25 23:46 UTC] No.44611107[source]▶
That's basically what gift cards are isn't it?

> Leaked internal slides peg Steam’s net revenue last fiscal year at just under $10 billion

https://www.simplymac.com/games/3-5m-per-employee-how-valve-...

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xyst ◴[19 Jul 25 00:03 UTC] No.44611209[source]▶
Steam gift cards are funded by traditional banking products and partnerships. They can’t live without the invisible hand of the banking and credit card industry.
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1. mulmen ◴[19 Jul 25 00:36 UTC] No.44611433[source]▶
I like this (ab)use of the invisible hand meme. But in economics the “invisible hand” is more of a benevolent deity than a predictable mechanism. I propose “hidden hand” for what credit (card and rating) companies do.
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2. 8note ◴[19 Jul 25 01:44 UTC] No.44611794[source]▶
it really is the same invisible hand. the economics invisible hand is doing whatever the capital owners want the economy to do. weighing influence by capital is what makes visa have that power