Marvel Shuns Trump in Mod Purge

Summary

A Donald Trump character mod for the game Marvel Rivals has been removed from Nexus Mods, reportedly due to its sociopolitical nature, violating the platform's established rules against such content. The game's developer, NetEase Games, has yet to comment on the matter or the broader issue of character mods within Marvel Rivals.

Marvel Rivals, a recently released hero shooter, has quickly gained millions of players. Players are experimenting with various strategies and utilizing mods to customize the appearance of characters. Mods have included alternative skins based on Marvel Comics and movies, and even crossovers with other franchises like Fortnite.

A mod replacing Captain America's model with Donald Trump circulated on social media, sparking interest and even requests for a similar Joe Biden mod. However, both mods are now inaccessible on Nexus Mods, resulting in error messages indicating their removal.

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 and avoid potentially inflammatory content.

Social media reactions to the ban were mixed. Many players found the mod inappropriate given Captain America's established character, while others criticized Nexus Mods' stance on political imagery. Despite the ban, Trump-related mods persist in other games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2.

NetEase Games, the developer of Marvel Rivals, has not publicly addressed the use of character mods, including those featuring controversial figures. The company is currently focused on addressing other game-related issues, such as bug fixes and resolving wrongful account bans.