Scandal at game company Paradox: They saw the Atatürk photo and banned the Turkish player!

A moderation action on the official Discord server of Paradox Interactive's popular strategy game Hearts of Iron IV has sparked a backlash from Turkish players. A Turkish player with the username "sclunjstcwarrior" was banned from the server for using a photo of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as their profile picture.

In their explanation regarding the ban, the moderation team claimed that Atatürk was a "controversial figure." Furthermore, they used statements far removed from historical reality, alleging that Atatürk was a member of the Committee of Union and Progress during the alleged Armenian genocide as justification for the player's ban.

Following these events, Turkish players who reacted to Paradox Interactive's moderation policy challenged the assessments made about Atatürk.

MODERATOR CORRESPONDENCE REVEALED

Correspondence between Paradox Interactive moderation and Turkish players, which reveals how the dispute began, has been obtained.

According to Odatv's report, the correspondence shows that moderators used various statements linking Atatürk to the events of 1915 and the Committee of Union and Progress. These historical assessments put forward by the moderation team caused a reaction among Turkish players.

PHOTO REQUIREMENT IN BAN APPEAL

According to community representatives Primus and Atmaca182, the player was informed that they needed to change the Atatürk photo on their profile to have the ban lifted. It was stated that the moderation team argued that the use of "political or controversial figures" connected to the era in which the game takes place is not permitted as a profile picture.

In the correspondence, it was stated that using a real photo of Atatürk as a profile picture was considered against the rules; however, it was noted that using the "vanilla" image from within the game might be permitted. Turkish players, meanwhile, reacted to Atatürk being linked to the events of 1915 and the bans imposed on the grounds of a profile photo.

As the protests grew, it was alleged that some users who had an Atatürk image on their profile or were identified as Turkish were also banned or received timed mutes. Content creator Sefa & CarrieRTV, who brought the incident to the agenda during a live broadcast, stated that users' complaints were met with automated responses containing the same content and said:

"Everyone who entered the server and was identified as Turkish started to either get banned directly or receive a timeout penalty. We experienced this censorship firsthand live during the broadcast."

WAVE OF NEGATIVE REVIEWS ON STEAM

The reactions quickly moved to Steam and social media platforms. Community representatives said that more than 7 thousand players left negative reviews for Hearts of Iron IV on Steam within a single day. Calls for a boycott against Paradox Interactive also became a trending topic on X.

Streamer Ahmet Sonuç, known as Jahrein, stated that he had conveyed the issue to a high-level executive within Paradox and received the response, "I am looking into it." Historian Prof. Emrah Safa Gürkan reacted to the events, stating, "There is clear hostility and historical distortion here."

There is clear hostility and historical distortion here. Atatürk does not have any historically controversial aspects, but they probably already know this. Boycott. https://t.co/YyHPu7DoY9

— Emrah Safa Gürkan (@jeandpardaillan) September 23, 2026

One of Turkey's leading streamers, Ferit Karakaya, also criticized the practices on Paradox's Discord server with harsh words and called on players to show their reaction.

It was reported that no official apology or comprehensive statement regarding the crisis has come from the Paradox Interactive side. Turkish players continue to demand that the bans imposed due to the Atatürk photo be lifted and that an explanation be provided regarding the moderation decisions.