What Does the Future Hold for Mods on Consoles?

With the recent launch of Skyrim special edition on consoles, we now have a second blockbuster title that boasts mods for games on a console. Conveniently enough, both games, Skyrim and Fallout 4 respectively, are games from Bethesda who have single-handedly made a once far fetched dream of having a working mod support system on a home console a reality.

Almost. I say almost because Fallout 4 only supports mods on console if you have an Xbox One. The bold move by PlayStation to opt out of mods intentionally was met with heavy backlash by die hard fans (myself included) who played on PS4 as this now technically made their copy of Fallout 4 very limited compared to Xbox and even more against PC. However with the release of Skyrim on PS4 there is a light at the end of the tunnel, players can download mods from the main menu but these mods must only use resources from the original Skyrim code. Any outside materials used to create Mods will render them unfit for Playstation and thus will be unable to be downloaded from the main menu.

It seems strange that PlayStation is so hesitant to embrace the change as willing as Xbox have. This isn’t the first progressive feature PlayStation have turned down after refusing to open up cross-platform play between Xbox earlier this year and again when they refused the EA Access service, which meant Xbox could make this feature an exclusive offer. Respectively, PlayStation is still the leader in the console sales war and have been since the start but when your customers see everyone else playing with mods when they aren’t allowed to, it can cause some issues long term.

The reason why PlayStation has turned down such offers may eventually be revealed, but we can only speculate until then. So what are the benefits of mods? The topic of modding games is one that you can easily spend hours debating with fellow gamers on because it is quite literally an endless topic. Some of the best games have been made from mods which include DayZ, Dota, Counter-Strike and Portal so it’s safe to say that mods have a very powerful impact.

All of this is nothing new to PC players and console players have never quite been able to utilise the player based creations until now. However, the mods that you can utilise on Xbox One have to be approved/tested first by Xbox and Bethesda before being able to be downloaded by the player, so Xbox isn’t being as restricted as PlayStation but they definitely don’t have it as easy as you would on a PC. It’s certainly a step in the right direction on a road previously untraveled but what I found myself thinking was how successful game remakes and potentially new titles could be if they all had the benefit of mod support.

Assuming PlayStation will eventually jump into the deep end instead of just testing the water with their little toes, we could see some amazing remakes. Think about it, this day and age a remake or simply a remastered title isn’t that unusual compared to what we as gamers were used to and it seems that gamers either get upset that the game doesn’t change enough other than a graphics overhaul or it changes too much. With games that are say ten plus years old that have a substantial following, they usually have been modded, sometimes to extreme lengths. For example the Grand Theft Auto series can quite literally become unrecognisable for better or worse with the sheer amount of mods that have been created for the colossal gaming franchise.

A lot of the times these remakes are viewed as quick cash grabs and can be meet with a little hostility. So when it comes to companies making games remakes/remastered editions of old games, it could actually be very beneficial for them to try and work mod support into the titles for consoles. This way gamers can either enjoy the game they loved so dearly when they were younger as it was or update and change the game as much as they possibly can. Given that most remakes are released with all the DLC, it’s usually more than enough content for newcomers who have yet to experience the game to wade through.

Besides the battle to get mod support approved by Xbox and PlayStation, there is still the issue that game developers face when it comes to people modding their games. It alters the way they intended the game to play in some instances and furthermore, some mods infringe on copyrighted content. Other developers face the issue of players opting for mods over DLC which can potentially cost them, but one simply can’t argue with the fact mods definitely add longevity to a game. Take Arma 2 and 3 for example, sales of Arma titles skyrocketed because of the DayZ mods, the developers certainly didn’t intend for their game to be such a success because of a third party mod but they definitely benefited from DayZ.

As for mods with upcoming games there will always be a grey area due to DLC or microtransactions being pushed like it could solve world hunger. Considering GTA 5 can still be one of the most profitable games every week and it’s been years after its original launch, it’s safe to say that mods and micro transactions (as much as I avoid micro transactions personally) can coexist in harmony.

What do you think about mod support for consoles? Do you think they go hand in hand with game remakes and if so what games would you want to see get the Skyrim treatment?

I for one am excited for the future of console gaming and hope that all consoles including the upcoming Nintendo Switch will be able to experience proper mod support.