Summary
A Donald Trump character mod for Marvel Rivals, a popular hero shooter, has been removed from Nexus Mods due to its sociopolitical nature, violating the modding platform's established guidelines. NetEase Games, the game's developer, hasn't yet commented on the use of character mods, including those with political figures.
Marvel Rivals, released recently, boasts millions of players globally. Players frequently use mods to customize character appearances, ranging from alternative skins based on comics and films to crossovers with other franchises like Fortnite. The controversial Trump mod, replacing Captain America's model, gained traction 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 related to US sociopolitical issues. This policy, implemented during the contentious 2020 presidential election, aims to maintain a neutral platform. While many Marvel Rivals players understood the ban, citing the incongruity of Trump's image with Captain America, some expressed dissatisfaction with Nexus Mods' political restrictions. This isn't an isolated incident; although many have been removed, Trump mods for other games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2 remain available elsewhere.
NetEase Games, the developer of Marvel Rivals, has yet to address the issue of character mods, focusing instead on resolving gameplay bugs and addressing player account issues. Given the game's recent release, this silence is perhaps unsurprising.
