The world's largest mod-sharing platform, Nexus Mods, recently underwent a significant change as founder Robin “Dark0ne” Scott announced his departure from operational duties, concluding a 24-year tenure at the helm. While Scott emphasized it was a difficult but necessary farewell, the company behind the new leadership, "Chosen," has sparked intense community concern. 
According to community research, Chosen has a strong venture capital background. Its website's tagline, "We partner. We amplify. We conquer.," along with entries on the founder's LinkedIn page such as "Gaming Startup Monetisation Cheat Sheet" — mentioning terms like Play-to-Earn (P2E), microtransactions, subscriptions, and NFTs — led many players to fear Nexus Mods might follow other acquired platforms down a path of "commercialization ruin." 
To quell community anxieties, the new head, Foledinho, assured users that "mods will always remain free." He emphasized there would be no new restrictions on free accounts, no revocation of user ownership over mods, and no changes to premium account benefits. Furthermore, Chosen has no immediate plans to introduce new monetization mechanisms, stating their "goal is to reduce ads, not increase them."
A Nexus Mods spokesperson also told PC Gamer that "the new owners are not some distant overlords, but partners who have integrated into our internal team and are working alongside us. Our direction is 'continuation,' not 'disruption.' There are no plans to force paid content or introduce more intrusive advertising."
However, Foledinho's tone was notably reserved when discussing the potential for new monetization methods in the future, only stating, "We will remain community-centric, maintain our current core model, and continue to support mod creators and users."
Regarding the omission of Chosen's name in Scott's initial departure announcement, Foledinho explained that "that post was about Robin's exit and contributions, not about us. We will introduce ourselves once we've earned the community's trust." Nexus officials added, "Trust can only be earned through action."
Despite the new team's reassuring words, many veteran players remain cautious. Whether this transition can truly uphold the spirit of freedom and sharing that Nexus Mods has built over the years remains to be seen.
via： PC Gamer