Valve has recently updated its Steam digital-download service with a post about mods (via NeoGAF), and it still has an answer up about why you have to pay for certain ones.
In April, Steam and publisher Bethesda worked together to introduce a new system where mod creators could charge for the add-on content they built for the megapopular role-playing game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Gamers did not react well to this — with many arguing that Bethesda, Valve, and modders were greedy for charging for labor that previously went unrewarded. This led to Bethesda and Valve quickly ending the paid-mod idea just days after introducing it. But it may make a return.
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“Why are some mods free and others cost money?
Each mod author decides whether they think there is enough customer interest in their mod to list it for sale. Just like buying a game, paying for a mod helps to support and reward the team (sometimes consisting of just one person) who have worked hard to create that new content.”
We’ve asked Valve if this means that the return of paid mods is imminent. We’ll update this post with any new information.
The timing of this post is interesting. We’re about two months away from the debut of the next Bethesda release, Fallout 4. That game, like its predecessors, is bound to have a highly active modding scene. And while that might seem like it would make Fallout 4 ideal for the reintroduction of paid mods, the company says that isn’t necessarily the case.
“[We’re] focused on finishing the game,” Bethesda communications boss Pete Hines told GamesBeat. “We will focus on mods, mod tools, and the rest after we’re done.”
It’s possible that Bethesda wants nothing to do with paid mods after Skyrim, and Valve is just prepping to reintroduce this feature for another game.