Summary
A Donald Trump character mod for 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 use of character mods in general.
Marvel Rivals, a hero shooter boasting millions of players, allows for modification of character models. Players have created and shared various mods, including alternate skins and even crossovers with other franchises like Fortnite.
A mod replacing Captain America's model with Donald Trump circulated on social media, even prompting searches for a corresponding Joe Biden mod. However, both mods are now inaccessible on Nexus Mods, resulting in error messages.
Reasons for Removal:
Nexus Mods' 2020 policy explicitly prohibits mods related to US sociopolitical issues. This policy, implemented during the highly contested 2020 presidential election, aimed to prevent potentially divisive content.
Social media reactions were mixed. Many found the ban unsurprising, citing the perceived incongruity of Trump's image with Captain America. Others criticized Nexus Mods' stance on political imagery. While this isn't the first instance of Trump-themed video game mods, many have likely been removed from the platform, with some still existing for games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2.
NetEase Games, the developer, remains silent on the matter of character mods, focusing on addressing other game issues like bug fixes and resolving wrongful account bans.
