One of the more unique features of the recently launched MapleStory 2 is the ability for players to design and create custom cosmetic items to sell on the game’s market. But because this is the internet, we can’t just have something nice. According to a recent report from Kotaku, the cutesy free-to-play title has been stricken with a rash of offensive and inappropriate custom item designs.
[AL:MS2]The fine folks at Nexon say that they “actively monitor the Design Shop for offensive material as well as have a reporting system.” Despite this, however, they just can’t seem to keep up with the influx of inappropriate items: “Given the volume of reports, there has been a delay in the review process.”
Although MapleStory 2 appears to explicitly forbid the use of certain keywords (such as “Trump” and “porn”) for items on the Meret Shop, where player-designed items are sold, it should come as no surprise that players have found ways around these filters. According to Kotaku, it doesn’t take much searching to find a wide variety of controversial custom designs, including clothing and vehicles bearing designs that include President Trump’s likeness, white-nationalist slogans, and even “pornographic images of anime characters.”
In a statement to Kotaku, the Nexon team claims, “We are trying our best to continue to reduce the gap and speed up the response time [to reports] to make a better game and maintain a respectful community.”
Good luck with that.
Patch note for tomorrow. #MapleStory2 https://t.co/LTStWQ2APw
— Jungsoo Lee l Ocean Drive Studio (@jsoceandrive) October 18, 2018
