Fans have been left wondering why mentions of Winnie The Pooh have been banned from Marvel Rivals.
The new online shooter from NetEase Games hit the masses with a bang, as over 20 million gamers have tried it over its first month on the market.
And with any major online community, Rivals has had to manage its growing list of players worldwide, fixing exploits with various patches, adding new content for the fanbase to enjoy, and fostering a (hopefully) well-meaning, positive experience for everyone who plays.
Why Is Winnie The Pooh Banned from Marvel Rivals?
One of the words/phrases on Marvel Rivals' growing banned list is Winnie the Pooh, confusing gamers who may not know the character's history and the subtext surrounding his presence online.
When trying to type the honey-loving character's name into the game's in-game chat, gamers are greeted with a message saying, "Text contains inappropriate content."
In the last decade and change, Pooh has taken on somewhat of a controversial meaning. The beloved Disney character is often brought up in when referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping and is often used by Xi's critics online.
This dates back to an image of Xi with former President Barack Obama, where online commentators compared the two world leaders to Tigegr and Pooh. The image eventually became a controversial mainstay of memes, specifically surrounding Xi.
Because of this, mentions of Pooh have long offended members of the Chinese government, with mandates banning the Chinese word for Pooh being made by the Chinese government for events such as the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
This aversion to Winnie the Pooh has trickled down to Chinese corporations, as brands avoid mentions of the character, so as to not draw the eye of the Chinese government.
The Chinese government has not been one to take kindly to those who do not share their values. On the Marvel movie side, the country has a long history of banning or censoring various MCU films to fit their view of what Chinese citizens should be exposed to.
For those who did not know, Marvel Rivals was developed by the Chinese studio NetEase Games in partnership with Marvel. So, one can see why the game's development team would ban any mention of Winnie The Pooh in its in-game chat.
Pooh's name is not the only thing banned from Rivals chat. Other words or phrases typically deemed 'politically charged' in the eyes of the Chinese government are also a no-go in-game.
Other words on the Marvel Rivals ban list include but are not limited to "Isis," "Free Taiwan," and "Hitler."
Of course, just like the content of Rivals itself (which is in the middle of its first in-game event right now), this ban list will constantly change.
Marvel Rivals is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
