Paid Steam Workshop Content Coming, ‘Skyrim’ First Game To Support Paid Mods
If you’re a modder wondering whether you can start to make some cash doing your craft, Steam and Bethesda may have a solution for you.
Announced today via Bethesda, as well as Steam, Steam Workshop mods will now support the ability for modders to sell their content. Steam Workshop creators can start to sell their content via the Workshop, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be the first game to support this feature.
The ability to sell your modded content is nothing new, but it has to be supported by the original developer. Daybreak Game Company, formerly Sony Online Entertainment, has supported this feature for a while, allowing players to sell mods and created content for their games. Steam is entering the ring with possibly one of the most modded games on the market to date.
Bethesda, in their post, made sure to point out that buyers can try each mod risk-free. Steam’s new refund policy in terms of Workshop items states that the refund process must be initiated within 24 hours after the initial purchase. This should give fans ample time to try out the Workshop item they’ve just downloaded.
In addition to the mod support, Skyrim and the Creation Kit have been updated to support the new feature, such as removing filesize limit restrictions on mods, allowing creators the ability to upload master files and adding new categories to support more mod creation. This also does not mean the end of free modding content on the internet for the game, as the Workshop will still support free mods. There are also other resources out there to download new content, such as Skyrim Nexus.
Currently there are 17 debut mods on the marketplace, starting at 25 cents and going up to $4.99. You can also purchase all the mods in a bundle for $28.68 on Steam. Bethesda hopes by allowing modders to start selling their content, fans will continue to help support the modding community by supporting their favorite creators. It’s no secret that Elder Scrolls titles are great games, but they really come into their own after modding. Bethesda is stating that they are actively trying to help support those who make this happen.
It begs the question, though: Will anyone actually buy these? With so many free mods out there, will someone want to spend five dollars on a mod for armor, or go find another — free — mod and save the cash? It’ll be seen how sustainable this will be, given how up until now players could enjoy the full breadth of what modders had to offer free of charge.
[Image via Bethesda]
