Forza Horizon 6 players report bans over anime car decals as creators pull their designs

Forza Horizon 6 players are reporting another wave of bans over anime-inspired car designs, with some creators losing their artwork and others claiming to have received permanent hardware bans. The controversy has spread across the game’s Japanese community, where players have criticized Playground Games for penalizing a form of car customization that originated in the very country where the game takes place. 

The designs in question are known as itasha, a Japanese car customization style that uses large illustrations of anime, manga, and video game characters. Players have been recreating these designs in Forza for years, but the latest complaints have prompted some artists to remove their shared liveries or stop uploading new ones altogether. Several players also report receiving penalties for downloading and using other people’s designs or sharing photographs of cars featuring anime artwork.