Kickstarter canceled our game because I'm Cuban.
I haven't posted anything about this until now. Honestly? I was deeply affected. Emotionally drained. It took me days to even process what happened, and even longer to find the words to talk about it without breaking down.
On April 24th, I launched the Kickstarter campaign for Lavatro, my first commercial game. A roguelite about doing laundry. It sounds silly, but it was our shot. My team and I poured everything into this project, hoping to get funded so we could finally work on it full time. Not to get rich. Just to create something meaningful. But hours after launching, everything fell apart. First, Kickstarter flagged our page. They said we mentioned something about Cuba, legal reasons, they couldn't proceed. But here's the thing: Nabo, our musician and the one who handles all the legal stuff, is from Mexico. Our studio is registered in Mexico. All our accounts are Mexican. So we appealed. And they seemed to fix it. Then they wrote back. This time, they asked directly: "Where do you currently reside?" I told the truth. Cuba. Nabo appealed again. Explained everything again. The next day, they canceled the campaign. No right to protest. No appeal process. Just gone. Like we never existed. I'm not saying this is xenophobia. I understand it's the law, and they follow it. But it hurts. It hurts because making video games in Cuba is already incredibly hard. We struggle with internet access. Most crowdfunding platforms are blocked. We fight every single day just to stay connected to the rest of the world. And then, when we finally do everything right, legal studio in Mexico, Mexican partner handling finances, everything in order, we still get shut down. Because I'm Cuban. And let me be clear about something. I didn't choose to be born here. I have no control over what politicians do in my country. I'm just a guy who wants to make video games. I don't represent a regime, a flag, or a political agenda. I represent myself and my team. Punishing me for things I had no part in, things I don't even agree with, is just wrong.I already live with censorship and repression in my own country. Every day. But now I'm also being blocked by other countries. Not because of what I did. But because of where I was born. My team and I feel exhausted. Frustrated. Invisible. Like the system doesn't see us as developers. Just as an address.But listen, I am Cuban. Yes. But first, I am human.My team and I are young people with dreams. We want to build something meaningful. We want to work hard, be honest, and reach our goals like anyone else in any other country.
And I'm not doing this just for myself. I'm doing this for every young person who wants to dream like me. For every kid in Cuba, or anywhere else, who's been told "no" just because of where they were born. If I give up, what message does that send? That the system wins. That dreams have borders.I refuse to accept that.This post isn't just to complain. It's to say: don't let bureaucracy erase humanity. Don't let a flag or a zip code decide who gets a chance to create.We're still here. We'll find another way. But this is what happened. And it shouldn't have to be this hard just to be allowed to dream.
Thank you for your time.
Lavatro, still in development. Still fighting.