Hey Everyone, some really Important but bad news...
The news:
As of sometime today itch.io has shadow banned almost all NSFW games on their storefront, many NSFW devs suspect this is related to the
Visa/Mastercard sweep that's been hitting other stores such as Steam as well as the
new UK age verification law being passed tomorrow. Visibility on "Moving In!" has gone from 1000 views and around 200 downloads per day to only 5 views and 0 downloads, essentially killing the game completely on their store.We aren't alone here, almost every single game with nudity has been shadow banned and all game devs are in uproar.
How this affects us:
While Itch.io have not yet released an official statement we will probably receive one in the coming days. This is a very difficult situation, 97% of traffic to the game came from itch and their storefront, essentially our visibility has been completely removed right now. While the game is still available on Patreon and I don't foresee them following suit in the short term, It does mean we need to find another solution in the long term. Until I can find another distribution channel, the game is completely isolated from the outside world.
Plans moving forward:
This is my first game... I love working on it more than anything else. It is the only thing I want to do as a full time job and I'll be damned if I let it get killed like this. I want to reassure everyone that this will
NOT stop the development of the game, It will however cause unavoidable delays while I reach out to other distribution channels and work out next steps. v0.2.3 is still in development and I will still be working on the game regardless of the outcome.
Potential solutions:
- Building a website and host for the distribution of the game.
- Reaching out to GOG/Nutaku and any other NSFW safe stores that may be able to host.
- Holding out on Patreon until the dust settles.
- Finding new channels for distribution.
How can you help:
Honestly I'm open to any suggestions and solutions you all may have but I would like to ask you all to please join the Patreon. Even as free members, showing that the game is gaining popularity and has a large audience will make them think twice about removing it in the worse case scenario. If anyone has Web development experience I would love your input and anyone who may have thoughts please feel free to reach out to me.
From your friendly neighborhood Lewd Dev:
Eezybreezy