Kickstarter Faces Pressure from Payment Processors to Restrict Adult Content

Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform known for backing projects like Larian Studios’ Pillars of Eternity and Warhorse Studios’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance, has recently revised its “Mature Content” guidelines. The new rules now ban content considered “violent,” “derogatory,” and sexually “photo-realistic.” This shift away from NSFW content appears to be influenced by its payment processor, Stripe, as indicated by communications sent to creators.

Around May 11, Kickstarter updated its “Rules” page to impose stricter restrictions on various forms of NSFW content. Previously, the guidelines only prohibited “Pornographic content,” but the latest version includes specific bans on “implied sex acts,” “MILF/DILF” themes, “implied nudity,” and any depictions of “female nipples/areolas, genitalia,” and “anuses.” Surprisingly, even “buttocks” are now off-limits.

The reason behind these changes may stem from pressure from Stripe, which is partially owned by Palantir Chairman Peter Thiel and X founder Elon Musk. Neither Kickstarter nor Stripe has commented on the situation.

Artist and writer Mike Wolfer noted that Kickstarter began notifying creators as early as March 2026 that “Stripe will conduct its own review” of projects featuring “adult/NSFW content.” This could lead to the shutdown of any crowdfunding projects while they’re still active or even after they’ve been funded. The sudden decision to restrict NSFW content is particularly striking given that Kickstarter launched its “Kickstarter After Dark” newsletter in September 2025, aimed at highlighting “the best adult-oriented projects” on the platform.

If these new rules are indeed a result of Stripe’s influence, it wouldn’t be the first instance of a payment processor impacting NSFW content. In 2025, both Steam and Itch.io had to remove numerous NSFW games from their platforms due to pressure from banking partners and payment processors like Visa and Mastercard. The Australian anti-porn group Collective Shout claimed responsibility for this censorship, but it increasingly appears to be part of a broader trend among companies that handle online transactions to restrict what can be bought, sold, and shared.