Paradox Interactive wants to ensure that its biggest fans can make and deliver content to players on both the PC and Xbox One. To that end, the publisher announced a partnership with Microsoft today to help launch the Paradox Mods platform. This is a service where mod creators can upload and serve their add-ons seamlessly to people playing Paradox games on Xbox One or PC.
Paradox joins Bethesda as the only other company enabling mods on consoles.
For now, Paradox Mods only works with strategy survival-sim Surviving Mars. But that game features 30 community-created mods that fans can subscribe to and use. All you to do to get this to work on Xbox One is sign up for a Paradox account. On PC, you just need to use the GOG Galaxy or Paradox Launcher apps.
“For Surviving Mars, we have worked with mod creators to support Paradox Mods with some of the best mods available, all in one place and downloadable in-game or simply using a web browser,” Paradox Mods product boss Anders Törlind said. “We really look forward to unlocking the world of modding for all members of our community, regardless of what system they are using to play our games.”
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Going beyond Steam
Paradox is making this move in an effort to broaden its audience and to ensure traditional fans have more purchasing options. Paradox Interactive games are all on Steam, but the games are also available on GOG and other stores. But Steam has long supported mods with its Steam Workshop, which many Paradox games already use. And the studio acknowledges that mods are deeply important to many of its fans.
“Modding has been, and remains, an important part of the Paradox community,” said Törlind. “As we have diversified the way we distribute our games, we want to make sure all our players can take part in the creation process.”
So for mod creators, all you have to do is submit your creation to Paradox Mods, and Paradox will handle the rest. And Paradox will only take stuff down that gets flagged and doesn’t meet its guidelines. Of course, since this is an official channel, don’t expect any of your Macho Man or Thomas the Tank Engine mods to get through Paradox’s lawyers. For those less-than-legal creations, you’ll still have to get your hands dirty yourself.
Correction: The story originally said that Paradox plans to pre-approve mods, but that’s not the case. It will let everything through and then take stuff down that players flag as inappropriate.
