Valve Restricts Access to Mount and Blade: Warband Mod in South Korea at Government's Request

In South Korea, access to a specific mod for the action role-playing game Mount and Blade: Warband has been blocked by Valve, and the mod's creator has since removed it. According to a report from the South Korean website This Is Game, the Gwangju Running Man mod transformed the game's medieval setting into a modern representation of South Korea's 1980 Gwangju Democratisation Movement. Following notification from South Korea's Game Rating and Administration Committee in March 2025 that the mod was not in compliance with local laws, Valve took action to ban the mod in the region. The Committee described the mod as 'distorting historical facts', as it portrayed protesters as violent criminals, thus justifying the military regime's use of force. The mod's cover also featured an image of former military dictator Chun Doo Hwan. In response to the ban, Valve acknowledged the significance of the historical event to the Korean people.