Microsoft has banned Forza Horizon 6 users for anime-style car skins
, by Thibaut
With the PS5 version set to launch next January, Forza Horizon 6 is currently experiencing a wave of bans that seem rather unjustified. This phenomenon is primarily occurring in Japan, but also in other parts of the world.
The website Windows Central reported that Japanese “Itasha (痛車)” liveries designed by players are being affected by these bans. This refers to an automotive subculture characterized by cars with very flashy designs that highlight anime culture. Since Playground Games offers the ability to heavily customize vehicles in its game, certain designs were deemed inconsistent with the title’s “suitable for all audiences” (PEGI 3) rating.
As a result, some skins were removed by moderators, but the penalties were sometimes more severe. In fact, some users have had their Xbox accounts banned without any explanation whatsoever. No message was sent explaining the reason for this decision or specifying the nature of the skin in question. Players reached out on forums and other support channels but received no responses.
"This game has a forum for appealing penalties, and although I submitted a post there, I haven't received a reply in over a month. Consequently, I have no idea which livery caused my ban. Furthermore, there are people who received harsher penalties than I did—such as permanent bans or device bans—despite creating vinyls featuring female characters that were clearly less revealing than mine."
Some suspect that Forza Horizon 6 is using AI through an automated banning system that makes no distinction between a truly offensive skin and one that is more acceptable. However, as stated in the game’s code of conduct, all reports are supposed to be reviewed by a human moderator. “Itasha (痛車)” themes are even explicitly listed as permitted, but must not contain "explicit sexual content and sexually suggestive imagery". The boundaries are thus quite vague and undoubtedly open to interpretation.
Source: windowscentral.com