Every now and again Bethesda implements a paid model for mods in its games, and it usually goes very wrong, very fast. Now, history rhymes once again as Starfield faces thousands of negative reviews following Bethesda’s attempt at re-introducing paid mods into its flagship titles.
The paid mods were brought into the game through the release of the Creation Kit and Creations, with which Bethesda aimed to tackle third-party mod-hosting websites such as NexusMods and centralize mod sharing. Alongside that, Creations also featured a paid mod section where both the modder and the publisher would earn a commission from each purchase. This enraged the fanbase, to say the least, who felt Bethesda is trying to “exploit” mods and modders to earn an extra buck from those creators trying to fix its games.
Starfield currently has a “Mostly Negative” label among recent reviews where 62 percent of some 2,400 players wouldn’t recommend the game. This review-bombing campaign has also impacted the game’s overall rating, which now stands at “Mixed” on Steam with 40 percent total negative reviews. “You are not aiding modding in the slightest. You are trying to turn modding into a business opportunity,” one top-rated negative review reads.
While making money from mods has been a long-standing practice on most mod-hosting websites, players have been particularly critical of the way Bethesda conceived its paid mod model. Creations must be purchased with Starfield‘s currency, severely limiting refunds, and there are no guarantees of a refund in general if a patch breaks the mod. Overcharging players for lackluster mods also seems to be the issue.
Popular streamer Asmongold also weighed in on the situation, criticizing Bethesda for trying to make money from players trying to fix its game. “[Bethesda] is the last [one] that should be getting paid for this. Bethesda should be paying [the players],” the streamer said in a June 16 stream.
Bethesda hasn’t commented on its reasoning behind the model but, if past experiences serve, the company might remove paid mods from the store if the backlash proves significant.
