Mods for games can either be given away by the modders for free, or they can charge a price for it, or they can ask for donations, but it’s really up to them to decide, and now this is something that Valve wants to give its modder community as well. The company has recently announced that they will now allow modders to start selling their creations on Steam.Like we said there are mods that you need to pay for, and some that are free, but through this move, gamers who are looking for mods can do so easily and in one place. Not to mention Steam is probably one of the largest gaming portals at the moment, so safe to say that there will be many gamers looking for mods, and just as many willing to create and sell them.
According to Valve’s Tom Bui, “We think this is a great opportunity to help support the incredible creative work being done by mod makers in the Steam Workshop. User generated content is an increasingly significant component of many games, and opening new avenues to help financially support those contributors via Steam Workshop will help drive the level of UGC to new heights.”
Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be the first game to support the new option, and as it stands there are already 19 paid mods listed ranging from as low as $0.30 up to $7. The good news is that neither Bethesda nor Valve will curate the market, meaning that gamers can upload whatever they want and price it however they see fit. The downside is that it can be rather risky, and there is also the possibility of downloading some crappy mods in the process.
However thankfully there is a 24 hour refund window which is part of the Steam Workshop policy, so gamers who aren’t satisfied will be able to get their money back.
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