After a week of early access, Starfield was released globally for all users earlier this week. The initial reception has been largely positive, with the majority of the community delighted with Bethesda’s offering that has been years in development. However, the game’s launch was not bereft of controversies, with one surrounding its inclusion of pronouns. Recent reports from players suggest that mods to remove the said mechanic were being banned on NexusMods.
The option of choosing your own pronouns, which is available in the character creation section in Starfield, is the point of contention. Given how charged, politically or otherwise, the matter of inclusive pronouns and people’s preferences have become in recent years, Bethesda’s decision to include the mechanic ruffled quite a few feathers.
Many in the community decided that it was reason enough to refund the game. YouTuber HeelVsBabyface’s clip went viral as he ranted about the matter. Talk of boycotting the game also started doing rounds.
As mentioned earlier, many in the community have been claiming over the past few days that NexusMods was removing all Starfield mods attempting to remove pronouns from the game. At the time of writing, we could not find an official confirmation regarding the matter.
The matter of pronouns, of course, extended to political ideologies and the notion of the game industry going “woke” in matters of inclusion and diversity. On a Steam Community Hub post, many asked for the official source of the information regarding the ban, while others sarcastically jeered at the reported censorship.
Other X (previously Twitter) posts discussing the matter soon popped up. One user even shared a reported message from NexusMods regarding the situation, though there’s no visible indication that it is an official reply.
For those unaware, NexusMods is a community-driven mod repository where players can upload/download various kinds of mods that look to enrich the player experience for a particular game. The offerings are mostly practical, but also hilarious and delightful in some cases.
Mods will undoubtedly play a significant role in the gameworld of Starfield for years to come. Bethesda’s IP usually fosters a rich modding scene that is enjoyed by its fan base.
