Marvel Rivals Donald Trump Mod Reportedly Banned

Summary

A Donald Trump character mod for the game Marvel Rivals has been removed from Nexus Mods, reportedly due to its violation of the platform's policies against sociopolitically charged content. The game's developer, NetEase Games, has yet to comment on the matter or the broader issue of character mods.

Marvel Rivals, a hero shooter released recently, has quickly gained millions of players. Players are experimenting with various mods to customize the game's characters, ranging from alternate skins based on Marvel comics and films to even non-Marvel character replacements.

A mod replacing Captain America's model with Donald Trump circulated on social media, even sparking interest in a purported Joe Biden counterpart. However, both mods are now inaccessible on Nexus Mods, suggesting a ban.

Reasons for Removal:

Nexus Mods' 2020 policy explicitly prohibits mods involving US sociopolitical issues. This policy, implemented around the time of the 2020 presidential election, aims to maintain a neutral platform. Social media reactions were mixed, with some finding the ban unsurprising given the perceived incongruity of Trump's likeness with Captain America, while others criticized Nexus Mods' stance on political content. Despite this ban, Trump mods persist in other games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2.

NetEase Games, the developer of Marvel Rivals, remains silent on the use of character mods and has not addressed the controversy surrounding the Trump mod. The company is currently focused on addressing other game-related issues such as bug fixes and resolving wrongful account bans.