Today, Steam Workshop for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been updated to allow for paid mods. A couple of high profile authors have already began uploading their mods. Some are leaving old, unsupported versions on nexusmods, while others are removing the free versions and replacing them with paid ones. 

Apparently, only 25% of the price goes to the modder, while the rest is shared by Valve and Bethesda. Plans to introduce this model to other popular workshop games are already underway. 

http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=72850&browsesort=trend&section=readytouseitems&requiredflags[]=paiditems#

http://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/33m4fk/steam_is_now_selling_mods/

http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/aboutpaidcontent

What is your opinion on the situation? Is it a danger, or an opportunity for modders and modding? Is modding going to change fundamenally? Would you pay for mods? 

Edited April 24, 201511 yr by Yard1

Paywalls are a ridiculously stupid idea, especially when 75% of the profit doesn't even go to the author. If you want to reward modders for their content, add a donate button.

Dan has a great video explaining the issues with this decision that I encourage everyone to watch.

 

 

Would never pay to access mods. Would gladly donate if it deserved it. I agree with how Forbes describes the situation: "Valve's Paid 'Skyrim' Mods Are A Legal, Ethical And Creative Disaster".

So many loopholes and hurdles to jump through just to release a $1.99 mod. Look at the fishing mod that was taken down. So many mods rely on other mods to work properly, so it will be a clusterfuck of copyright violations.

 

Capitalism at it's finest, folks.

A move obviously sourced from EA's book of greed.

LMAO.

I actually had to check the date and confirm that it wasn't April 1st. What a joke, a complete joke. 

If you aren't modding for the love of the game, community and the challenge, then you should not be modding. I can count the donations I have received without taking my shoes off, yet, I still make mods.

The most amazing thing about this is that, decent, modders are willing to ruin their reputation for a piss take 25%, and only receive that when they have $100 accumulated.

With all the flack this is receiving, I hope that no other games opt into this programme.

Honestly this could be an easily resolved issue, and if gamers would stop purchasing mods, they'd be bound to make them free again. The downside is that this can go one of two ways:

 

Nobody purchases the mods, which this would take mass coordination among the gaming community, and they make the mods free again since no one is purchasing them.

Nobody purchases the mods, and they continue to require payments in an attempt to smash the modding community from Steam.

Aaaaand it's over. 

http://steamcommunity.com/games/SteamWorkshop/announcements/detail/208632365253244218

Aaaaand it's over. 

http://steamcommunity.com/games/SteamWorkshop/announcements/detail/208632365253244218

​

Gotta love the power of the internet. Something upsets a large majority of people most likely something will be done. I'm glad they reverted it before it got to other games.

Now what about the idiots that went on and purchased the mods? Guess they're just screwed. 

Now what about the idiots that went on and purchased the mods? Guess they're just screwed. 

​Sort of. They got their money back, but it's in steam money so whoever put real money into steam to buy them, guess that money is bound to your steam account now.

Steam was all like:

It really wasn't a good move. They referenced mods becoming great games like "Dota, Counter-strike, DayZ, and Killing Floor," but only a very small minority of mods become as big as those. Plus it isn't monetization that makes that happen (although I guess it would help), it's the things that Sniper said: love of the game, community, and challenge.

(excuse the use of a meme, I just had to)

Edited April 28, 201510 yr by willpv23