Valve Announces Paid Mods, Outrage Ensues

Yesterday, Valve rolled out a new Steam Workshop feature that allows modders to charge for their content, starting with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

“…the Steam Workshop now supports buying mods directly from the Workshop…”

Masses of gamers accustomed to the usual system of free user created modifications quickly expressed their objections across the online gaming community. Valid arguments against the new paid system include Valve’s 75% cut taken from these mods with little effort on their end, no guarantee that a paid modification will work or receive support from anyone, and copyright issues that stem from the fact a number of mods are not entirely based on original creative content or ideas. The strongest supporting argument is that skilled modders now have a way to make money and possibly produce mods full-time. However, a number of supporters seem to prefer a system similar to Patreon in which users can freely donate any amount of money to the content creator as opposed to the Steam Workshop’s forced minimum for each individual mod.

There have been reports of user posts being removed both in the comment sections of the currently available paid mods and in the Steam Community forums. Beyond those upset with the news and talking about it, some people have taken their displeasure of discussions and have brigaded certain rating sites in response to the paid workshop mods. At the time of this article’s writing, a petition on Change.org has garnered just over 17,000 supporters to have the new system removed.

Skyrim was first released late in 2011 to wide acclaim. Like many preceding games from Bethesda including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3, user created mods were permitted for Skyrim. Numerous mods have been created including interface improvements, custom armors and weapons, graphic overhauls, amongst others. Most of these modifications are relatively small projects released for free to other Skyrim players. In light of paid mods, many are wary of the precedent this can set for the future of mods during a time where it is not uncommon for developers and publishers to implement in-game microtransations or paywalled content.

Update 26 April:

The petition on Change.org has nearly 110,000 supporters.

Gabe Newell, CEO of Valve, made an appearance on Reddit in an attempt to address paid mods.