Valve has introduced a new feature in its Steam Workshop that allows mod makers and developers to sell their mods directly to gamers for real money. This is a major change from the previous system, which provided mods to players for absolutely no charge.
"We think this is a great opportunity to help support the incredible creative work being done by mod makers in the Steam Workshop," said Valve's Tom Bui in a statement. "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."
The first game to support the option to sell mods in an unregulated, open format is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which now has mods ranging from 30 cents $7, with dozens more under review. Creators can charge any price they like for the mods they develop.
"Unlike other curated games on Steam that allow users to sell their creations, this will be the first game with an open market," Bethesda states. "It will not be curated by us or Valve. It was essential to us that our fans decide what they want to create, what they want to download, and what they want to charge."
What do you think of the system?