Aion 2 is a South Korean MMO that was released last month in both Korea and Taiwan, with an international release planned for some time in the future. The sequel to the beloved 2009 MMO Aion has not been well received by players, who are extremely critical of the MMO's monetisation, which has been accused of being pay-to-win, a cardinal sin for the genre.
However, something that's more troubling than Aion 2's predatory microtransactions is the misuse of the MMO's 'Style Shop'. This feature is a community marketplace where players can upload custom characters to sell to the community, with developer NCSoft and the creator splitting the money 50/50. Unfortunately, creators are using the Style Shop to sell characters modelled after real-life celebrities, including minors (thanks, Automaton).
Aion 2 is a game with a plethora of sexual and revealing outfits, so you can see the obvious problems associated with using a real person's likeness. This is especially problematic in South Korea, a country with strict protections for celebrities, designed to curb obsessive fan culture.
A lot of these real-life recreations are of Korean Pop idols. A cursory glance at the Style Shop's front page shows several...
