Aion 2, a sequel to NCSoft’s hit fantasy MMORPG from 2009, launched in South Korea and Taiwan in November 2025, with a Western release also planned down the line. The game’s initial reception has been rough so far. While dissatisfaction over pay-to-win game mechanics is a big part of it, there has also been controversy of a different kind – sexualized depictions of real-life celebrities, including minors.
For context, Aion 2 comes with a “Style Shop,” an open marketplace where players can upload presets of the custom characters they create. Other players can purchase and use these presets, with proceeds being split between the publisher and the original creator.
As Aion 2 features an extremely elaborate character creator with deep customization options, it seems some players have been using this to create near identical depictions of real-life Korean celebrities and selling them as presets. Moreover, according to GameMeca, many of these have been listed on the Style Shop under the idols’ actual names, leaving no space for coincidence. Given that Aion 2 features numerous highly revealing costumes and that many of the celebrities being recreated in-game are minors, the issue has become quite controversial. Naturally, it has also led to a split between people who condemn the act and those who feel entitled to do as they please within the confines of the game.
But what about legal implications? Jeong-Mok Kang, a South Korean attorney writing for GameMeca, recently offered his opinion on the issue, based on actual law and relevant court precedents. Shortly put, Kang considers that both players who engage in this behavior and NCSoft, who provides the environment for it, could potentially be held liable (note that this is based on machine translation, so exact nuances should be taken with a grain of salt).
According to Korean laws related to digital sex crimes and deepfakes, a crime is established if footage, video, or audio targeting a person’s face, body, or voice is edited or composited (against the subject’s will) in a manner that may arouse sexual desire or cause sexual humiliation. Although the Aion 2 case revolves around 3D models rather than real photos, Kang says that deepfake-related cases don’t generally delve into the technicalities of how the offending content was made, but how it’s perceived by others. In other words, if most people would recognize an MMORPG character as a specific idol, and especially if that idol is a minor, then dressing that character in sexualized outfits and sharing the images can be treated as a real-world sexual offense, much like deepfake abuse.
Moreover, even if punishment related to sex crimes doesn’t apply, Kang says a civil lawsuit related to infringement of personality rights is highly likely. “When users share custom character presets modeled after idols or celebrities to boost views on their YouTube channels, attract attention in-game, or otherwise gain benefits, this constitutes a textbook case of unauthorized use of another person’s likeness.”
Interestingly, the attorney also notes that Aion 2’s publishers likely wouldn’t be able to pull a “you control the buttons you press” should legal trouble arise from the case. Given that NCSoft has control over all in-game data (including what’s publicly displayed on the Style Shop) and that the company profits from selling the revealing outfits that make sexualized portrayals possible, the developer could be seen as jointly liable if it’s determined that they knew what was happening but didn’t do anything about it. Of course, there are no actual proceedings being held against Aion 2 players nor the developers, but users are hopeful the latter will crack down on behavior that could cause harm to idols and celebrities anguish. With games growing increasingly realistic and customizable, this seems like an issue that’s bound to become more frequent going forward.
