Iron Gate Studio, creators of Valheim, does not approve of paid mods and instead recommends that creators “make their mods easily offered to all who wish to play them.”
The developer explained its stance on user-made content for its Viking-themed sandbox survival video game in a Steam thread titled “Regarding Mods.” Iron Gate has remarked that, despite the lack of official support for mods, the company is “absolutely pleased to see that individuals are engaging with our video game and producing their own mods for it,” calling the desire to incorporate player-generated content “lovely.”
The designer supports mods in theory but is dead set against the practise of charging players for them in practise. “We certainly understand that you spend a lot of time developing a mod, and that you may desire monetary payment for that,” the developer wrote. “However, Iron Gate does not excuse locking modded content behind a paywall.”
The Valheim creator goes on to say that it disagrees with the practise of charging for modifications because it “protests the innovative and open spirit of modding” and encourages all modders to “make their mods easily readily available to all who wish to play them.” It makes it clear that “this need to consist of the entire mod” and discourages people from giving out some of their work for free while charging for other parts. Iron Gate adds, “however we do not desire payment to be a requirement to access a mod.” This doesn’t mean that you can’t show your appreciation for a mod author by giving them money, of course.
For “prevent confusion for gamers,” the designer also requests that modders clearly label their content as unofficial. Mods are used at the user’s own risk, and the game’s developer cannot guarantee that they are compatible with future updates.
Valheim’s early access period began on Steam in 2021, and it joined Xbox Game Pass this year alongside other titles like Civilization VI and Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom, all of which are turn-based strategies. For the next six months, the game will only be available on Microsoft’s system, but don’t hold your breath for a PlayStation release any time soon.
Check out our Valheim Xbox reviews to learn about our thoughts on Iron Gate’s console release.
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Coming from Ireland originally, I moved to the UK in 2014 to attend Staffordshire University to major in Games Journalism and Public Relations. Since then, I’ve worked as a freelancer for publications including GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine, Play, and GamesRadar+. The first time I defeated a Goomba in Super Mario Bros. on the NES solidified my devotion to video games. My current obsession is the PlayStation. Sometimes when I’m not playing video games or writing, I’ll go online and look for Tomb Raider memorabilia to add to my already excessive collection.
