Forza Horizon 5 Promises To Fix Offensive Feature
"Forza Horizon 5" won over critics — who gave it enthusiastic reviews – with its breathtaking graphics, smooth loading times, and overall satisfying gameplay. However, out of all its flaws, critics failed to mention the somewhat offensive name censorship, which blocks any name that sounds different. People with ethnic names have been complaining about how "Forza Horizon 5" claims their names are too "inappropriate" for the game's content filter.
Osama Dorias posted a screenshot of an "inappropriate content" notice after trying to save a design that included his name. "You specified something that was blocked by the language filter. Please try again," the warning read. "Oh no, it appears that my name is inappropriate content," he wrote. "Who do I have to thank for this?" While Dorias' name was likely censored because of its similarity to the terrorist Osama bin Laden. However, Osama is still a very common Arabic name.
Nazih Fares of The 4 Winds Entertainment received the same message when trying to write his name on a license plate. "Oh why am I not surprised," he wrote, tagging developer We Are Playground. "The eternal curse of not being allowed to use my legal name will forever [haunt] me." While Fares' name has nothing to do with anything questionable, it might be banned for its similarity to the word "Nazi," which could be abused by gamers wishing ill intent on others.
Understandably, slurs and other inappropriate words are banned for good reason. It's just that the internet seems to agree this content filter is compensating too much, preventing those with ethnic names from fully expressing themselves in "Forza Horizon 5." Thankfully, developers are working on a fix.
What developer We Are Playground plans
It's a common problem in multiplayer games to see players with names and labels that include hate words, swears, and other offensive references, so it seems that We Are Playground implemented censorship software in an effort to keep inappropriate content to a minimum in their games.
The Forza Enforcement Guidelines mission statement aims "to preserve and promote a safe, secure, inclusive and enjoyable experience for all Forza Community members, and provide offenders a chance to change their behavior following enforcement action."
However, even the developers agreed that the censorship was too heavy-handed. Eurogamer reported that the team was apparently working on a fix for its content filter. "We are aware and are working on a fix to evolve and adjust our content moderation," a Microsoft spokesperson told the outlet.
"Forza Horizon 5" is a Microsoft exclusive, so it's only available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It's unclear when the patch to fix the filter will come out, so it looks like players with potentially "offensive" ethnic names will have to wait just a little longer.