"They exploit Japanese culture for sales, then trample on it in the game": Forza Horizon 6 has started mass banning Japanese players over itasha
There is no official confirmation of a mass "ban campaign" or automatic blocking of itasha due to the number of complaints.
Forza Horizon 6 fans are reporting mass bans of user-created car liveries in the Creative Hub. It is assumed that the sanctions are aimed at works that violate game rules, but according to the community, popular itasha — cars decorated with images of characters from anime, manga, and video games — are also being affected.
Two months ago, the Japanese publication AUTOMATON reported that several well-known itasha artists began deleting their works and refused to publish new designs. According to the publication, artists faced bans that prevented them from sharing their creations. However, the problems affected not only itasha: players also found deleted liveries with logos of automotive component manufacturers.
This led to speculation that some user-created works might be automatically deleted after receiving a certain number of complaints. There is no official confirmation of such a system, but some players believe that organized mass complaint campaigns might have been conducted against user-generated content in several games of the Forza Horizon series.
Now, Japanese players are reporting a new alleged wave of bans, which likely continues similar incidents that occurred in the summer. Moreover, this time, not only published works are supposedly subject to sanctions. Players claim that users who photograph itasha in the game and share the images through in-game functions are receiving bans.
Some reports seem even more unusual: players who have unfinished works that have not yet been uploaded to the Creative Hub are allegedly receiving temporary bans. This refers, in particular, to files with body lines and rough sketches, which, presumably, could have been mistakenly recognized by the system as containing nude images. However, no direct link between specific complaints and subsequent bans has been officially established.
The situation has already begun to affect the artist community. Temporary bans of well-known itasha artists, according to players, are making other users more cautious about publishing their own works.
Some fans also draw attention to a feature of Forza Horizon 6 itself: for the first time in the series, the game takes place in Japan — the country where itasha culture originated. Therefore, part of the community considers it particularly contradictory that one of the characteristic components of Japanese automotive culture faces restrictions precisely in this installment of the series.
They completely disrespect the culture they used to promote this game. In previous Horizon installments, 'itasha' was fine: there was peace and quiet, it was considered normal. But in the new installment, set in Japan — the homeland of this style — such cars have become subject to sanctions. They exploit this culture for sales, but at the same time trample on it in the game itself. I cannot tolerate such arrogance.
At the same time, players do not always understand which elements of user-created liveries might violate the rules. The Forza code of conduct mentions prohibited user-generated content including well-known symbols, profanity, threats to children, defamation and impersonation, spam and advertising, personal data, QR codes, symbols and images of drugs, sexually inappropriate or provocative content, images of harm to people or animals, and other categories.
Against this background, users are demanding clearer criteria for user-generated content. In their opinion, detailed rules would allow creators to understand in advance which elements of liveries could lead to a ban, and would reduce the risk of deleting works that the creators themselves do not consider to violate the game's requirements.
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