Nintendo Cracks Down on Kirby Air Riders Marketplace
Nintendo is already cracking down on Kirby Air Riders’ custom marketplace, pulling down player‑made “bikini Chef Kawasaki” designs that shot to the top of the charts. The community barely had a day with the new tools before chaos set in—and Nintendo wasted no time stepping in.
Kirby Air Riders launched with a Forza‑style marketplace where players can share custom vehicle skins. Within hours, the creativity exploded—Pokémon gliders, GameCube tributes, even meme logos. But it didn’t take long for the inevitable: scantily clad versions of Kirby’s iconic Chef Kawasaki flooded the listings.
The Tools That Invited Chaos
Masahiro Sakurai gave players a powerful customization suite, and the community immediately pushed it to extremes. The same thing happened with Smash Bros. Ultimate’s stage creator—remember “Mario Pissing”? As such, history repeats itself.
The customization tools are robust enough to let fans recreate almost anything. That’s why we got both incredible tributes (like Kyogre as a glider) and eyebrow‑raising creations (like Chef Kawasaki in a micro bikini).
Nintendo’s moderation team quickly started removing the more…risqué designs, especially the bikini variants that were dominating downloads. The company’s stance is clear: Kirby is supposed to be cute and wholesome, not a platform for fan‑made smut.
Nintendo’s Moderation Response
As per usual Fans are split. Some are laughing at the absurdity, treating it as harmless fun. Others are frustrated, which is fair, as they see this moderation is too heavy-handed and stifles fan creativity, Screenshots of the banned designs spreading faster than the originals which is probably not what the company wanted.
Nintendo’s crackdown shows the double‑edged sword of giving players creative freedom. The tools are powerful, the community is inventive, and the results are both brilliant and chaotic. For every GameCube tribute, there’s a bikini Chef Kawasaki waiting to test the limits.
Kirby Air Riders is barely out, and already the moderation battle has begun.
