Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Valve Pulling The Plug On Paid Mods For Skyrim Workshop
After Bethesda posted its explanation for supporting paid mods via Steam's Workshop earlier today, Valve has announced it's scrapping the feature.
Valve employee Alden Kroll posted an update on the Steam Workshop page, stating that the heavily criticized initiative is being shut down and that anyone who has bought a mod will have their money refunded. Kroll was straightforward about the company's decision.
"We've done this because it's clear we didn't understand exactly what we were doing. We've been shipping many features over the years aimed at allowing community creators to receive a share of the rewards, and in the past, they've been received well. It's obvious now that this case is different."
Kroll goes on to state that while the goal was to empower mod creators, starting with a third-party game wasn't the best choice. "We understand our own game's communities pretty well, but stepping into an established, years old modding community in Skyrim was probably not the right place to start iterating. We think this made us miss the mark pretty badly, even though we believe there's a useful feature somewhere here."
Bethesda has also updated its post with an equally unequivocal statement:
"After discussion with Valve, and listening to our community, paid mods are being removed from Steam Workshop. Even though we had the best intentions, the feedback has been clear – this is not a feature you want. Your support means everything to us, and we hear you."
[Source: Steam Workshop]
Our Take
Well, that didn't take long. While I still hope that Valve can figure out some way to allow mod makers to earn money for their creations, they clearly need more time to figure out an approach that will keep their fans happy. Kudos for Bethesda and Valve for listening and responding so quickly to their vocal fan base.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
