Twitch says AO rated games are not welcome on the service

Twitch has stated in the latest update to its Rules of Conduct (RoC) that it will not allow its users to stream games which the ESRB has handed an Adults Only rating.

The policy change comes mere days before the release of the controversial PC game Hatred from Whther the game's release was contributing factor the policy change is unknown.

Mature versions of previously rated AO titles such as GTA: San Andreas and Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy are allowed, so long as the games sport and M rating and are not the original AO version.

Games rated 18+ by other rating systems outside of the ESRB are still able to be streamed, as long as said games aren't rated AO by the ESRB.

The games also cannot violate the standard language of Twitch's RoC and Terms of Service (ToS).

"Our goal at Twitch is to create a safe, welcoming, inclusive community platform where everyone can feel comfortable and have fun," reads a post on the company blog.

"Previously, we made game-specific decisions about which games would and would not be available for broadcast – sometimes due to overtly sexual content, sometimes due to gratuitous violence.

"Simply put, AO games are not welcome on Twitch."

The company said to refer to the ESRB’s Ratings Guide and list of Adults Only games for more information.

Twitch stated that originally, its ToS and RoC wasn't quite clear and generated a bit of confusion, thus the reason for today's update.

To recap: if the ESRB in the US has rated a game Adults Only, it cannot be streamed. If the game is rated 18+ in another country it can be streamed so long as the ESRB hasn't given it an AO rating in the US.