Bethesda has banned a Doom mod that features a resurrected mech demon Margaret Thatcher, because it is allegedly too close to'real world politics'

Bethesda removed the Doom mod Thatcher’s Techbase from their certified mod listings. This was apparently in response to a complaint by a user about the mod’s subject matter. Thatcher's Techbase is a mod that attacks the hellish alt universe lair of Margaret Thatcher. She was UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, died in 2013, and has been resurrected as "The Tenth Circle of Hell": The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland.

Thatcher's Techbase is not new, but Bethesda recently re-released a "definitive bundle" of Doom 1 & 2. This bundle includes a ton of new features, official map packs and tools that let modders easily share their work within the game. This gave popular mods a semi-official status, and they are now distributed directly through Bethesda’s game. However, it is not a good thing when the mod allows you piss on a dead politician's grave.

Thatcher's Techbase is a mod created by Jim Purvis. He was thrilled when the new Doom bundle came out, as it was the first time the mod was available outside of PC. It lasted only a few weeks.

Purvis shared a screenshot from a message sent by Bethesda's customer support on August 30. "Bad News Everyone," wrote Purvis. Bethesda's message reads: "The creation Thatcher’s Techbase was reported for real-world political purposes and has been removed." "This account will receive an official education notification." The message is a warning about mod content.

Thatcher's Techbase can still be downloaded from the mod site. At least one enterprising Doom user has re-uploaded the mod to the official Doom Mod Catalogue. I imagine that, no matter what your opinion is, the chances of it remaining in the official list of mods are not good.

The reference to "real-world politics" is what's most interesting. The map pack is a Doom campaign with locations like the Houses of Parliament, weapons like the Trident Launcher and weapons like the UK's nuclear missile deterrent announced by Thatcher in 1980. But it's also a hellscape filled with demons and re-emerging Tories.

It's hard to deny that the mod is political, in the sense that it's anti-Thatcher. Even if the project is so surreal and bizarre that it could only be classified as satire. Bethesda may not want to play whack-amole with mods that have aesthetic links to real people or politics, but it is a different matter. Monsters can be resilient, as mecha-Thatcher demonstrates.