- Nexus Mods is officially acquiring SteamDB from co-owner Pavel Djundik, better known as xPaw.
- According to Djundik, maintaining the website became a full-time job and led to massive burnout.
- However, fans are already vocal about the acquisition, raising concerns about monetization and controversial policies.
Nexus Mods has officially acquired SteamDB, after more than a decade of tracking and documenting games, player counts, updates, prices, and more. The website has been extremely useful, informing players of new updates, particularly with Steam Charts, such as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced breaking Ubisoft’s PC player record despite negative launch reviews. However, fans aren’t exactly happy about the acquisition.
Fans Fear Nexus Mods Could Paywall SteamDB or Introduce Controversial Policies
For context, co-founder Pavel Djundik, a.k.a. xPaw, explained in an official SteamDB statement that maintaining the website had evolved into a full-time job. As Steam’s catalog expanded and the platform added new features, keeping SteamDB updated and functioning led to significant burnout.
As a result, Djundik is now selling SteamDB to Nexus Mods, with a brand-new team taking over the website. Nexus Mods owner Victor Folmann, better known as Foledinho, has commented on the acquisition in a new Nexus Mods blog, and here’s what he had to say:
If you’re a user of the site, don’t worry, it’ll still be SteamDB, keeping its own name, brand, community, and identity. We aren’t just folding it into Nexus Mods; in fact, in the short-term, there shouldn’t be much you notice at all. It’ll still be the same site with all its features and data.
Nexus Mods aims to use the information SteamDB collects about Steam builds, files, updates, and more to determine better mod capabilities. However, some fans remain skeptical of the acquisition.
Most SteamDB users think that in the long run, Nexus Mods might introduce controversial policy changes like the 2021 “Collections” controversy. At worst, turn SteamDB into a monetized website to check prices or Steam Charts for games like ARC Raiders. Of course, the website will remain the same for now, but users have voiced their concerns over the acquisition on X.
Rockstar dataminer Ben said, “Oh, this is terrible news”, while another user named Reality commented, “possibly the worst team that could’ve acquired it”.
Some users have some strong words about the acquisition, with user Kazovsky saying, “Nexus? Freaking s**t show platform. It will just get worse.” Another user, SixT, hit the nail on the head, saying “I can’t wait until it’s paywalled!”
The backlash is currently centred on Nexus Mods, rather than SteamDB, and xPaw has confirmed that the website“stays free” for now. However, he has also mentioned that they might consider monetization “if we build new things someday.” So, it’s a matter of if, not when.
