Forza Horizon is reportedly banning users for anime car liveries — what’s going on?
Forza Horizon players are reportedly experiencing a wave of bans for using anime-themed car liveries, with the issue particularly impacting Japan’s gaming community. Japan possesses a distinctive and vibrant car culture, and has been identified as the most-requested setting for the Forza Horizon franchise among players. However, Xbox adoption has historically been limited in Japan compared to rival platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo, which have maintained stronger footholds in the region.
The current installment, Forza Horizon 6, is exclusive to Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms. The apparent wave of bans targeting players with anime car liveries raises significant questions about the game’s content moderation policies and their consistency of application. The issue is particularly noteworthy given Japan’s importance as a potential growth market for the franchise and Microsoft’s platform in the region. These reported bans have sparked investigation into whether the moderation decisions are justified and what criteria Playground Games is using to determine violations.