Nexus Mods, a popular modding site, finds itself at the center of a heated debate after removing over 500 user-submitted modifications for the game Marvel Rivals within a single month. The controversy ignited when mods replacing Captain America's head with images of Joe Biden and Donald Trump were taken down.
Nexus Mods' owner, TheDarkOne, addressed the situation on Reddit, clarifying that both the Biden and Trump mods were removed simultaneously to prevent accusations of partisan favoritism. TheDarkOne stated, "We removed the Biden mod on the same day as the Trump mod to avoid bias. But for some reason YouTube bloggers are silent about it."
However, this action sparked a wave of online harassment. TheDarkOne reported receiving numerous death threats and hateful messages, stating, "Today we receive death threats, are called pedophiles and subjected to all sorts of insults simply because someone decided to inflame this issue."
This isn't the first time Nexus Mods has faced backlash over mod removals. A similar incident occurred in 2022 when a Spider-Man Remastered mod that replaced rainbow flags with American flags was removed. At the time, the site's administration publicly affirmed its commitment to inclusivity and its policy of removing content deemed discriminatory.
TheDarkOne concluded by stating, "We're not going to waste our time on people who think this is cause for uproar." The situation highlights the ongoing tension between freedom of expression and platform moderation within online gaming communities.
