Many Forza Horizon 6 players have reported that the creative center prohibits customizing car liveries. While the measures are aimed at curbing content that violates the game’s rules of conduct, fan-favorite “itashas” – cars decorated with images of anime, manga and video game characters – have also been targeted.
Two months ago, Japanese publication Automaton reported that several popular creators were deleting their work and refusing to upload new designs because they were banned from sharing their work. In addition to “Itasha”, patterns bearing the logos of car parts manufacturers have also been removed; this has raised concerns that some works will be automatically removed based on the number of complaints from other players.
While it has yet to be officially confirmed, some have speculated that the mass blocking of user-generated content in some Forza games is due to some kind of “complaint campaign.”
Just recently, players in Japan began reporting a new so-called “blocking campaign,” which is likely a continuation of similar activity that occurred this summer. Now it appears that not only the finished product is under attack, but also the players who took photos of the Itasha coloring pages and shared them within the game. There are even reports that unfinished works that have not yet been uploaded to the Internet are being blocked. In particular, files containing body outlines and sketches are blocked, and may be mistakenly flagged as nude images by the system. While officials have not confirmed a direct link between the complaints and the ban, the temporary ban on the popular Itache artist appears to have prevented others from sharing their content.
While custom “itasha” designs have been criticized in previous Forza games, many consider them extremely important for Forza Horizon 6, as the game takes place in Japan, the birthplace of anime and manga character car wrap culture.
Itache has always been part of the Horizon series. In the past, everything was peaceful and cars like this were commonplace. But in this installment, set in Japan, the birthplace of this culture, they are now being punished for it. When Japanese culture helps sell, they exploit it and then trample on its essence.
Additionally, many players find it difficult to understand exactly how certain user-created vehicles featuring anime, manga, or game characters violate the user-generated content rules of the game’s Code of Conduct. In particular, the relevant paragraphs mention “defamatory symbols, swear words, endangering children, defamation and impersonation, spam/advertising, personal data, QR codes, drug-related symbols and images, sexual content, harm to people or animals” and more. Fans want clearer standards and guidelines that will allow them to create content safely without fear of being blocked.
