Crowdfunding giant backtracks on adult content rules after creator backlash

Kickstarter has issued a public apology and has decided to roll back its new, stricter guidelines on mature content. The updated rules had caused concern among independent comic book artists and tabletop RPG creators. In response, the platform is going back to its simpler, original guidelines.

The policy change came after a strong backlash from the creative community, who felt that Kickstarter’s efforts to cater to global financial institutions ran counter to its mission to support counterculture art. In a statement, Sean Leow, the Chief Operating Officer at Kickstarter, acknowledged that the rollout of the new rules wasn’t handled well, leading to fear and vulnerability among independent creators. Although the company has reversed its public policy, it’s also provided new strategic guidance to help creators design projects so they won’t trigger automated security flags from payment processors.

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.

The recent policy crisis at Kickstarter stems largely from their efforts to establish more consistent definitions of mature content. This move aimed to mesh their guidelines with the strict compliance requirements set by digital payment processors like Stripe. Unfortunately, this shift hit niche TTRPG publishers particularly hard. Some faced sudden suspensions of projects, limits on what language they could use, and delays in administrative processes for content that was usually accepted on the platform. By trying to set clear rules on what adult themes are okay, Kickstarter unintentionally made things more uncertain for indie developers who depend on crowdfunding for their print production costs.

The return to the old rules might seem like a win for creators, but it doesn’t fully eliminate the financial hurdles they face.

Since Kickstarter depends on global payment systems to handle large sums of money, there’s still a clash between creative freedom and the need to comply with financial regulations. Basically, the new guidance from Kickstarter suggests that creators should be mindful of how they present their projects, especially when dealing with mature themes, to avoid issues with automated banking systems.

This shift in policy comes at a time when there’s a growing global discussion about issues such as digital censorship and financial deplatforming. In the past year, independent shops and alternative distribution networks in North America and Europe have faced similar challenges from payment processing companies, which have limited creators’ options for distributing their work independently. By easing its earlier policy restrictions, Kickstarter has managed to soothe some of its users’ concerns. However, the underlying issue of relying on mainstream financial systems for mature creative projects is still a significant challenge for the tabletop industry.

Source: Kickstarter.