UPDATE: Paid Mods have been removed.
Here's something I really want to hear you guys opinions on. So if you didn't know. Steam now supports paid mods for Steam Workshop games. Valve and Bethesda teamed up to have Skyrim has the first game to support it.
Steam Community Blog: About paid content
Modders can now make money on Steam
The overall reaction is... Not good.
As a huge Skyrim fan and a big user of mods, I'm kinda uneasy about this. For starters. Mods which were free before are being deleted off other sites like Nexus and being put on the workshop behind a pay wall. Or aren't updated on Nexus but instead on Steam.
But that's not what gets me upset. it's the fact Valve and Bethesda get a
75% CUT IN THE MOD'S REVENUE. It's a 75/25 split. That is simply disgusting. Pure and simple greed.
I get the mod is using another game owned by another company but if the mod maker gets significantly less than the Skyrim devs and Valve. That's just plain wrong. Easily the most lazy and greedy thing Valve have ever done.
What's next? Paid updates for TF2, Dota 2? Garry's Mod paid mods? Your Friends list behind a fucking pay wall? "Add a friend for only 25p!"
I don't like it. I'm actually scared of what it will do to the future of modding. Some people will loose the passion and instead go for the greedy option... And modding should be about the passion not the money. Just like YouTube or being an artist.
Now to be fair. This does have some good sides. For one. Modders get income for their work. That's great. Same as people who create items for Team Fortress and Dota 2. Before, modders usually get donations and/or have a Patrion. That's not a livable wage. But now, thanks to this, modders can live off their work. I class Modders as Devs. Even if they don't make games per say, they are very talented and can become devs in the future.
And if the mod is really good. I'd pay for it sure. Big, DLC sized mods like Wyrmtooth and Skywind i'd happy to pay for. But charging 25p for a new sword? What's the fucking point. The mods which can buy at the moment aren't even worth it.
Basically i'm worried the quality will go down overall and people will either make crappy, unfinished mods for profit or steal a mod and then charge for it. (Which has already happened)