Making money from user generated content has been one of Valve's biggest cash cows in recent years. Allowing for the creation and dissemination of content in games like Team Fortress 2 and DotA 2, has allowed the company to rake in millions, whilst the developers take home a tidy per cent. Some of them have become very rich indeed from their creations.
Now though, for people that like to make something more than just a hat, Workshop content can now be charged for, so modders can sell add ons to games - though only if the original developer allows it. Skyrim is the first game to be given the thumbs up and there's already plenty of content for people to buy.
"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.
"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."
Of course one issue with mods is that they don't always work correctly. Fortunately then Valve has a refund policy in place, so anyone who's disgruntled about buying a mod can get their money back within 24 hours.
What's interesting about this announcement is that gamers have been rather mixed. Some see it as an encouragement for professional developers to make expansive content for some of their favourite games since they know they can get paid for it in the end, whilst others see it as an end to the altruistic mod scene and a creation of a new DLC platform.
What do you guys think?
