# Kickstarter Adult Content Policy Reversal (May 2026) — Research Summary

## 1. Chronology

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| As early as **March 2026** | Kickstarter began emailing creators warning that Stripe would conduct its own review of NSFW projects. |
| **~May 11, 2026** | Kickstarter updates its "Mature Content" guidelines with much stricter, detailed prohibitions. The new rules banned: "implied sex acts," "implied nudity," "MILF/DILF" content, anything featuring "female nipples/areolas, genitalia," "anuses", even "buttocks." Content "designed for the purpose of sexual gratification" was broadly prohibited. |
| **May 19, 2026** | Kickstarter COO **Sean Leow** publishes an apology blog post titled *"An Apology: Rethinking Our Mature Content Guidelines,"* announcing the reversal. |
| **May 20, 2026** | Wargamer publishes analysis. r/boardgames Reddit thread reaches 746+ upvotes, 81 comments. |

## 2. The Original Policy (May 11, 2026)

**What changed:** The prior/rules page simply prohibited "Pornographic content." The new version added highly specific restrictions:

> - "implied sex acts"
> - "MILF/DILF" content
> - "implied nudity"
> - "implied nudity where the subject is wearing lingerie, fetish wear, or clothing that is see-through or very tight and shows human genitalia, the anus, or the nipple/areola of female breasts"
> - anything featuring "female nipples/areolas, genitalia," "anuses," "buttocks"

These rules were so broad that creators pointed out they would ban major mainstream media (The Witcher, Game of Thrones, Cyberpunk 2077, Castlevania, Baldur's Gate 3, God of War, Dragon Age, Mass Effect).

**Source:** Kotaku report (May 13, 2026) — https://kotaku.com/kickstarter-is-the-latest-platform-seemingly-forced-to-ban-adult-content-by-payment-processors-2000695648

## 3. The Reversal (May 19, 2026)

**Official blog post:** https://updates.kickstarter.com/an-apology-rethinking-our-mature-content-guidelines/

**Author:** Sean Leow, COO

### Key quotes (direct from the apology):

> "Last week, we released a set of updates to our rules around mature content. It was our first time publishing a set of detailed, specific guidelines for adult-oriented content on Kickstarter. **And honestly? We botched it.** The rules didn't land the way we intended, and the response from our community let us know loud and clear that we got it wrong."

> "Our goal with these updates was to give creators more clarity upfront so they could make informed decisions about their projects before launch. **The actual impact was the opposite for some. More confusion, more uncertainty, and real fear that a platform that you have counted on to provide space for your creative expression was turning its back on you.**"

> "You deserve better. So, we're going back to the drawing board, and yes, that means we're going back to our previous rules."

> "The decision we made was an abandonment of the core counterculture, **f\*ck the establishment** spirit of Kickstarter, and it left our community vulnerable."

> "The decision we made wasn't the right one, and in an attempt to create rules that could work across both Kickstarter and Stripe, we rolled out something that was too restrictive and too far removed from what we actually believe."

### What the policy now says:

> "We are removing the new mature content guidelines and reverting back to our previous guidelines, which prohibit **pornography and illegal content**. This rule is bare bones and not as specific as we'd like it to be, but it does mean that certain content – like child sexual exploitation and abuse material, for example – remains prohibited. Those lines don't move."

> "This isn't the easiest route. It means that at any point, whether that's before launch, while a campaign is live, or after it ends, while a creator is still collecting pledges made via Pledge Over Time or Late Pledges, **Stripe can still suspend a campaign that Kickstarter has approved.**"

> "Though this route is an imperfect temporary solution, it allows us to stand in what we believe in and use the space between our rules and Stripe's rules to keep fighting for creators."

## 4. The Stripe Factor

### Why the policy was introduced:

The new rules were forced by **Stripe** (Kickstarter's payment processor):

> "The updates to the rules were primarily driven by requirements from our payments processor, Stripe. Stripe operates under its own legal and compliance requirements separate from Kickstarter's own rules."

> "Over the past several months, we've seen a growing number of campaigns that had already been approved by Kickstarter get suspended by Stripe mid-funding. When that happens, it's devastating. A creator's project can be frozen with funds in limbo, sometimes weeks into a campaign they've spent months, or even years, building."

> "Whenever that happened, we advocated for those creators directly with Stripe, and in some cases, we were able to get mid-campaign enforcement reversed so creators could finish their campaigns."

### Stripe's explicit policy:

From Stripe's restricted businesses page: **"Pornography and other mature audience content (including literature, imagery and other media) designed for the purpose of sexual gratification"** is among prohibited businesses.

### The fundamental tension:

Kickstarter cannot fully control what Stripe does. Even with the reversal, Stripe can suspend campaigns at any point — before, during, or after funding. The new policy adds a link to Stripe's guidelines and a "Navigating Stripe Mature Content Reviews" guide to help creators understand triggers.

Leow: "That's the reality of operating within a payment system we don't fully control. When that happens, we will advocate for you as we have been, and we'll do our best to help you understand what adjustments you need to make to your project to make it supportable by Stripe, **but we can't guarantee the outcome.**"

## 5. Affected Communities

### LGBTQ+ creators:

- Restrictions on expressions of sexuality disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ artists. As Wargamer notes: "art and expression from LGBTQ+ people is often labelled as pornographic or obscene."
- Radiant G (TTRPG creator) noted that the policy would ban award-winning media like The Witcher, Game of Thrones, Baldur's Gate 3, etc.

### TTRPG creators:

- **Phoenix Grey** (Lewd Dungeon Adventures): was negotiating a contract with Stripe to allow adult content sales; the policy change "went up in smoke."
- **Ludic Lemur** (Monsterhearts video game adaptation): postponed crowdfunding campaign and explored new options.
- **Plus One Exp** (Soothwardens): moved campaign from Kickstarter to Backerkit entirely.
- These creators began migrating to competitor BackerKit, which continues to allow adult content.

### Board game creators:

- Adult board games (sex board games, borderline-pornographic TTRPGs) are directly affected since Kickstarter is the dominant crowdfunding platform for the board game industry.

### Comics creators:

- Mike Wolfer, a comic artist/writer, received emails as early as March 2026 warning that Stripe would review his projects.
- Bleeding Cool reported at least one adult comic project was taken down under the new guidelines.

## 6. Broader Context: Payment Processor Crackdown

This is part of a larger pattern:

- **2025:** Steam purged countless NSFW games after pressure from Visa/Mastercard.
- **2025:** Itch.io restricted adult content following credit card company pressure.
- **Collective Shout** (Australian anti-porn group) claimed credit for pressuring payment processors.
- **Pornhub** previously had payments suspended by Mastercard/Visa.

The Daily Cartoonist: *"This move increasingly seems to be part of a larger trend by companies that manage online money flows in an effort to crack down on what can actually be bought, sold, and shared on the internet."*

## 7. Community Reaction

### Reddit — r/boardgames (https://reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1ti500s/kickstarter_walks_back_their_proposed_ban_on_all/)

- **Score:** 748 upvotes (98% upvoted)
- **Comments:** 81
- **Flair:** "News"

#### Notable top-level comments (verbatim):

- **[438 pts] u/Arkayne_Waves:** "Who could have possibly imagined this would happen."
- **[163 pts] u/VardamanSleepyMan:** "Not for nothing, but this isn't because Kickstarter is backing down, but more that the rules have/are going to change. The FTC very recently started putting payment processors like Visa and Mastercard on notice that they cannot deny services to legal businesses based on the content of what organizations are selling. Kickstarter is doing this because now they are not at risk of having the major credit card companies cut them off."
- **[146 pts] u/DopplerRadio:** "That's great to hear! I'm really glad they listened to their userbase on this. It's honestly super frustrating that it's legal for Stripe to refuse to process payments for legal purchases"
- **[107 pts] u/Iamn0man:** "So we've gone from 'we don't allow anything that will piss our payment processor off' to 'if our payment processor pulls the rug out from under you...don't say we didn't warn you.' A college professor of mine put it best: the 'liberal media' is only as a liberal as the conservative banks that own it allow it to be."
- **[50 pts] u/svachalek:** "That whole 'And honestly?' part reads as so AI."
- Other comments discussed: age verification requirements, alternatives like BackerKit, frustration with payment processor monopoly, suggestions to focus on banning AI slop instead.
- Thread about Stripe's dominance: users noted Stripe is the most-used processor in the crowdfunding industry and alternatives are limited; someone noted "there are more choices when it comes to payment portals, compared to payment processors."

## 8. What This Means for Board Game Creators Going Forward

1. **The old, vague rules are back** — "pornography and illegal content" is the standard, but enforcement is unclear.
2. **Stripe remains the real gatekeeper** — campaigns can still be suspended at any point. The risk of mid-campaign disruption persists.
3. **Alternative platforms** — BackerKit is positioning itself as a viable alternative that permits adult content. Some creators have already migrated.
4. **Kickstarter has published a guide** to help creators navigate Stripe's review process and reduce risk — but they "can't guarantee the outcome."
5. **FTC pressure on payment processors** — recent FTC scrutiny of Visa/Mastercard denying service to legal businesses may shift the landscape favorably for creators in the longer term.
6. **Kickstarter's language** ("imperfect temporary solution") suggests further policy work is underway, and they are internally pushing Stripe for flexibility.

## 9. Primary Source URLs

| Source | URL |
|--------|-----|
| Kickstarter official apology (Sean Leow) | https://updates.kickstarter.com/an-apology-rethinking-our-mature-content-guidelines/ |
| Kickstarter Rules page | https://www.kickstarter.com/rules |
| Stripe Restricted Businesses | https://stripe.com/restricted-businesses |
| Wargamer analysis | https://www.wargamer.com/kickstarter-reverses-mature-content-policy |
| r/boardgames Reddit thread | https://reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1ti500s/kickstarter_walks_back_their_proposed_ban_on_all/ |
| Kotaku (original policy change) | https://kotaku.com/kickstarter-is-the-latest-platform-seemingly-forced-to-ban-adult-content-by-payment-processors-2000695648 |
| GIGAZINE (comprehensive summary) | https://gigazine.net/gsc_news/en/20260522-kickstarter-adult-guidelines |
| TTRPG Insider (creator impact) | https://ttrpginsider.news/p/news-roundup-kickstarter-restricts-nsfw-content-impact-on-ttrpg-creators |
| The Daily Cartoonist | https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2026/05/19/kickstarter-reverts-to-prior-adult-content-policy-after-backlash/ |
| TechSpot | https://www.techspot.com/news/112471-kickstarter-reverses-mature-content-policy-after-backlash.html |
| Gadget Review | https://www.gadgetreview.com/home/culture/kickstarter-backs-down-on-adult-content-crackdown |
| Fandompulse | https://fandompulse.com/p/kickstarter-reversed-its-content |
| Eurogamer (404'd but referenced by search engines) | (article existed but now 404) |
| Mashable | https://mashable.com/article/kickstarter-sexual-content-ban-reversal (now 404) |
| Engadget | (article existed but URL changed/404'd) |

## 10. Key Direct Quotes (English original)

1. **Sean Leow:** "And honestly? We botched it."
2. **Sean Leow:** "The decision we made was an abandonment of the core counterculture, f\*ck the establishment spirit of Kickstarter, and it left our community vulnerable."
3. **Sean Leow:** "Stripe can still suspend a campaign that Kickstarter has approved… we can't guarantee the outcome."
4. **Sean Leow:** "This isn't the easiest route… [it] allows us to stand in what we believe in and use the space between our rules and Stripe's rules to keep fighting for creators."
5. **Wargamer:** "Kickstarter calls its new stance 'an imperfect temporary solution', with payment processor Stripe still an ultimate authority."
6. **r/boardgames u/Iamn0man:** "So we've gone from 'we don't allow anything that will piss our payment processor off' to 'if our payment processor pulls the rug out from under you...don't say we didn't warn you.'"
7. **Stripe policy:** "Pornography and other mature audience content (including literature, imagery and other media) designed for the purpose of sexual gratification."
