Marvel Rivals Donald Trump Mod Reportedly Banned

Summary:

• A Donald Trump character mod for the game Marvel Rivals has been removed from Nexus Mods due to its sociopolitical nature, violating the platform's rules.
• The game's developer, NetEase Games, has yet to comment on the use of character mods, including those depicting controversial figures.

Marvel Rivals, a recently released hero shooter boasting millions of players, has seen a surge in player-created mods altering character models. These range from cosmetic changes using Marvel Comics and movie skins to more unconventional additions, such as Fortnite-styled characters. Recently, a mod replacing Captain America's model with Donald Trump gained traction on social media, even sparking interest in a potential "Biden mod" matchup. However, this Trump mod, along with a seemingly related Biden mod, has been removed from Nexus Mods, resulting in error messages when users attempt to access them.

Why the Removal?

Nexus Mods' 2020 policy banning mods related to US sociopolitical issues provides the likely explanation. This policy, enacted during the heated 2020 presidential election, aims to prevent potentially divisive content. While many Marvel Rivals players online found the ban unsurprising, citing the incongruity of Trump's likeness with Captain America, others expressed dissatisfaction with Nexus Mods' political content restrictions. It's worth noting that, despite this policy, Trump-related mods persist in other games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2.

NetEase Games, the developer of Marvel Rivals, has remained silent on the matter of character mods, focusing instead on addressing game bugs and resolving player account issues. Given the game's recent launch, this silence is perhaps unsurprising as they prioritize other pressing concerns.