Update (4/23/2025): When reached for comment, Ultraporing told Waypoint that his body type edit was intended as an “open source mod, inspired by open source projects on Github.” He called the mod’s comment section on Nexus Mods his “biggest shock.” In his words, there were the “pro-modern change and contra-modern change factions” that “viciously fought with words,” along with himself as part of “the 3rd group that tried to just stay away from the madness.”
“In any case, I still am convinced that my mod never violated any rules, and neither did I,” Ultraporing told Waypoint, describing the Nexus staff member’s reasoning for the mod’s removal as “too vague and at times contradicting.” “Most likely the sad truth is that this person just was probably very angry at me and the mod for whatever imagined problem it represents or causes. And just basically abused his power to get rid of the offending parts, namely the mod and myself.”
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Ultraporing plans to continue his mod’s development with uploads on ModHQ and DEG Mods, describing both as sites “where creators [get] more protections.” When asked about TulpaTownW’s body type mod, Ultraporing also explained that he granted others permission to reupload and modify his mod, as long as credit was given (and his mod was not sold).
“If he used my mod as a base and expanded on it for V2, it’s ok with me, and just a bit disappointed that he didn’t even give me the smallest courtesy I asked for in the OG post,” Ultraporing said. “If he didn’t use it and it’s all coincidence it’s also fine by me.”
Original: Did you download The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered yesterday, sit down to play, and throw your controller at your TV? You know, because Bethesda shadow dropped a “woke” remake? I bet the thought didn’t even cross your mind, since you’re a reasonable human being who doesn’t hate minorities. Unfortunately, the biggest losers in gaming are up in arms over Oblivion Remastered due to a gender-affirming change in the game’s character creator. Oh, no, not trans people playing video games!
So, how upset are these right-wingers? They tried to promote a mod that alters the terms used for the game’s body type descriptors. And when one of the biggest modding sites on the internet banned the change, they went ballistic. Gotta love right-wing gamers getting owned, huh?
What’s the deal with those ‘Oblivion Remastered’ Body Type options?
Shortly after Oblivion Remastered launched on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S, gamers discovered that the Elder Scrolls IV remake did away with its gender selection terminology. In the original Oblivion, players chose their “gender” as “male” or “female.” Based on your chosen gender, your player character’s stats would be affected.
Now, Oblivion Remastered uses a “body type” system, where players choose between “Type 1” or “Type 2” options. Reflecting a more feminine or masculine presentation, respectively. Stats are also decided based on the player’s origin, not their gender. While pronouns and gendered titles are still tied down to your body type, the change is at least a step in the right direction for representing nonbinary and GNC players — and the new stats system prevents your gender from mechanically altering how you play the game.
However, right-wing gamers were furious about the change, attracting the worst possible people on Twitter to complain about it. Shortly after the new character creator options were discovered, disgraced Red 5 Studios CEO Mark “Grummz” Kern — well-known for his role as a ring leader for the right-wing gaming community on Twitter — quickly tweeted up a storm.
“There was zero need to change this in Oblivion Remastered,” Kern wrote. “Bring back the original Male/Female.”
They actually think ‘oblivion’s body type feature is holding back sales?
Kern went on to claim that Bethesda should restore the original gender options, arguing the company “would see a huge boost in sales” if an extremely forgettable character creation option was brought back. “Everyone would call them based and the brand would soar,” the right-winger said. “It would be funny to watch the meltdown as the dollars rolled in.”
For the record, Oblivion Remastered‘s Steam release peaked at 182,298 players in the past 24 hours, meaning it has surpassed Marvel Rivals, Schedule I, and Baldur’s Gate 3 for top players over the past day. SullyGnome ranks the remaster as the 9th most-watched category on Twitch over the past three days. It seems highly unlikely that a menu tweak would actually improve sales. Not because Oblivion players truly prefer the term “body type” over “gender,” but because your average gamer is already enjoying the game as is.
Let’s be real: Your average gamer just wants to play Oblivion with nice graphics. They’re going to buy the game regardless of the “culture issues” at play. We saw this with Starfield and Hogwarts Legacy, and we’ll see this with other games in the future, too.
The worst gamers you know are mad at Nexus Mods now
Nonetheless, modder Ultraporing turned to Nexus Mods last night with an upload called “Classic Bodytype,” replacing “Type 1” and “Type 2” with “Female” and “Male,” respectively (interestingly, the modder did not replace “Body Type” with “Sex” and “Gender” until a later iteration). Nexus Mods removed the addition soon after its upload and banned Ultraporing for “violating our community rules.” The reason for the ban was listed as “posting an intentionally-antagonistic mod with intention to evade the rules.”
“While the modification itself is not inherently a problem, the intention of the author is the problem. When a user reported that they had archived the mod on a website dedicated to archiving TOS-breaking content on Nexus Mods and other modding websites with a particular focus on bigotry, the author replied: ‘Awesome, thanks for picking up on my intentions,’” the post said. “From our File Submission Guidelines: ‘Files that remove gender identity including pronouns from a game that have been intentionally put in place by a game developer, when the removal is clearly to be divisive or cause hostility within the community or marginalize specific group(s).’”
A thread dedicated to the mod on the forum RPGHQ is filled with angry remarks toward trans people and Nexus Mods staff. One user called Nexus Mods “a bunch of rancid cunts.” Another poster used the n-word. “Stay ass mad troons the mod will forever be on here,” a third gamer added. “Troon” is a transphobic slur commonly used to refer to transgender women.
Grifting off the right-wing never gets old in games
One site, DEG Mods, turned to Twitter to promote a second Oblivion Remastered body type mod from TulpaTownW. This iteration uses the term “sex” instead of “body type” (and was criticized as “rat behavior” by Ultraporing as it “does not give credit”). As of this article’s publication, it is the only mod available for Oblivion Remastered on the site. The move was hailed as a victory by right-wing Twitter users, even though it ironically alters Bethesda’s original artistic intent.
“F censorship. F Nexus Mods,” one anti-feminist VTuber said in a viral tweet, calling her critics “pro censorship.”
It’s worth noting that while right-wing gamers are salty over Bethesda’s gender-affirming options, the game is not without controversy on the other side of the political spectrum. On April 7th, the BDS movement directly called on a boycott of Microsoft, declaring it “the most complicit tech company in Israel’s illegal occupation, apartheid regime, and ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza.” Bethesda was directly mentioned as a publisher to boycott. As a result, many players on the left have requested their fellow customers to refrain from purchasing Oblivion Remastered.
“We need to make a tangible financial impact on Microsoft to discourage them from supporting Israel in its ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” one Steam user wrote. “Say no to genocide.”
So, don’t call Oblivion Remastered a left-wing darling. As with many things in the games industry, the circumstances around this game are not black and white.
VICE reached out to Ultraporing and TulpaTownW for comment.
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