Summary

A Donald Trump character mod for the video game Marvel Rivals has been removed from Nexus Mods, reportedly due to its violation of the modding platform's policy against sociopolitically charged content. NetEase Games, the developer of Marvel Rivals, has yet to comment on the matter or the broader use of character mods within the game.

Marvel Rivals, a recently released hero shooter, has quickly gained millions of players. Players are experimenting with various mods, altering character models with skins from Marvel comics and movies, and even incorporating models from other games like Fortnite.

A mod replacing Captain America's model with Donald Trump circulated on social media, prompting some users to seek out a similar Joe Biden mod for competitive matches. However, both mods are now inaccessible on Nexus Mods, resulting in error messages.

Reasons for Removal:

Nexus Mods' 2020 policy prohibits mods related to US sociopolitical issues. This policy, implemented around the time of the 2020 presidential election, aims to maintain a neutral platform. The removal of the Trump mod aligns with this pre-existing guideline.

Social media reactions were mixed. While many found the ban unsurprising, given the perceived incongruity between Captain America and Trump's image, some expressed dissatisfaction with Nexus Mods' political content restrictions. It's worth noting that despite this policy, Trump mods for other games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2 remain available on the platform.

NetEase Games, the game developer, has not publicly addressed the use of character mods or the removal of the Trump mod. The company is currently focused on resolving other issues, such as gameplay bugs and addressing wrongful account bans.