One of the modders working on Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered gained notoriety for his modification that substitutes LGBT flags in the game with American flags.
The “Non-Newtonian New York” mod did not remain on the Nexus Mods website for very long after it was initially made available to the public because it gained attention so quickly after its release.
A representative from Nexus Mods confirmed that both the account and the mod have been removed and banned since they are “no longer accepted on Nexus.” The person was responsible for the Spider-Man Remastered mod, which was also banned from Nexus Mods.
Once the modification was released to the public and users obtained it, it was rehosted a number of times in the years that followed; however, it was never hosted on a huge modding community such as Nexus Mods.
The reactions of users to the mod itself as well as its rapid removal ranged from “based” to some users being outraged that the mod existed in the first place — and naturally, some users were furious that the mod was pulled as well.
Regardless, the entire fiasco raises yet another point of contention about not just the right of an owner to a product that they own but also the right to free expression. Does the modification in question, which replaces one flag with another, qualify as “protected speech?”
It’s possible that some people would argue that because Nexus Mods is a private company, its owners are free to do anything they wish with the information and users that are hosted on their website. This same line of reasoning may be used to game publishers and developers, who are now within their rights to legally deny you access to a digital game that you are the legal owner of for any number of reasons.