The backlash was enormous. The development studio Valve didn’t anticipate this and has now reversed its decision. The option to offer paid mods through the Steam platform is no longer available.
Valve wanted to keep 75 percent of the revenue from sold mods. The mod developer was to receive 25 percent but bear all the risks. This sounded unfair. Especially with mods, copyright violations are not uncommon and the risk is therefore significant. It followed severe criticism, which even Valve’s CEO Gabe Newell could no longer manage. Therefore, there has now been an official announcement: The paid option for mods will be abolished!
From now on, no modifications can be offered for money via Steam. Anyone who has already purchased a mod will receive a refund. Valve explains that they made a mistake. The mod community has been thriving for years, and trying to intervene there would not have been good. They exceeded their goals. They merely wanted to enable mod developers to fully focus on their projects so that excellent products could emerge. Possibly even so good that they could become standalone games like DotA 2. However, they understand that the community does not want intervention in the existing and functioning systems. Therefore, this matter is off the table for now. Paid mods for MMORPGs are also moving further away due to this disaster, which many MMO fans will find reassuring.
Andreas says: With a fairer model, Valve’s system could have worked – as long as it had only been offered as an option and there were no exclusive deals. But the community has decided. They want to continue to operate as they have been. This should be respected. Perhaps someday a similar idea will arise again – but hopefully better thought out this time.
