Summary
- A Donald Trump mod for Marvel Rivals has been banned from Nexus Mods due to its sociopolitical nature, violating the platform's rules.
- Marvel Rivals developer, NetEase Games, has yet to comment on the use of character mods, including those depicting controversial figures.
Launched nearly a month ago, Marvel Rivals has quickly amassed millions of players worldwide, mastering various Marvel heroes to climb the leaderboards. This hero shooter offers strategic gameplay, encouraging players to discover unique character interactions to achieve victory. Many players enhance their experience with mods, altering hero models with skins from comics and movies, or even incorporating characters like Fortnite versions of Captain America and Spider-Man.
Recently, a Nexus Mods user uploaded a Donald Trump mod replacing Captain America's model. This generated significant social media buzz, with some even seeking a Joe Biden counterpart for matches. However, Nexus Mods subsequently removed the Trump mod, resulting in an error message when searching for it on the site. The Biden mod is similarly inaccessible.
Why Was the Donald Trump Marvel Rivals Mod Removed?
Nexus Mods' 2020 blog post clarified its policy of banning mods related to US sociopolitical issues, urging users to report violations. This announcement coincided with the contentious 2020 presidential election.
Social media reactions were mixed. Many Marvel Rivals fans unsurprisingly accepted the ban, citing the model's unsuitability for Trump's depiction. Others expressed dissatisfaction with Nexus Mods' prohibition of political imagery. This isn't the first instance of Trump appearing in video game mods; while many have likely been removed from Nexus Mods, mods featuring him remain available for games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2.
In contrast, NetEase Games, the developer of Marvel Rivals, has not addressed the use of character mods, particularly those portraying controversial or political figures. As a new game, NetEase is currently prioritizing other issues, such as bug fixes and resolving wrongful account bans.
