The Outer Worlds Bans 495 Words From Character Creation

The Outer Worlds has been released and excited players are nothing short of joyful over the exploits taking place in the silly space opera. But not everything is sunshine and acceptance out in space. The game has a long list of banned words you cannot name your character.

Recently discovered on Reddit, The Outer Worlds has a list of 495 names that, should the player try to set at their name, will be denied. While some of these make sense, being clear and offensive slurs, the list also contains various words that on their own are not offensive, such as "Gay," "Pakistani," and "Muslim."

The list also contains various sexual acts and concepts. Some are more explicit, while others are more "sex-adjacent," such as the word "Brothel," and "Prostitute." But oddly enough, "Penis" is okay.

And in case your wondering: "Nazi" and variations of the word is also on the banned list.

Developers Obsidian Entertainment has not made any comments as to why the name filter is in place. The filter would make more sense on a multiplayer game, where others can see your name. But The Outer Worlds is a single-player game. One community theory is that the player's name can be seen in context throughout the game and that the developers didn't want offensive expressions superimposed into their game through the player's name.

Situations like this are always a complicated one. While it's good knowing that they won't let players perpetuate offensive stereotypes or slurs, many folks see this as a form of censorship. And many words, while mature, aren't exactly offensive. Where's the harm in calling my character "Blowjobs Johnson" in a world with murder and suicide?

For the full list of banned words, visit this Pastebin page. Be warned, however. It does contain many offensive words and slurs in multiple languages.