Bethesda gives paid Skyrim mods another try with new Creations hub that may pave the way for Starfield - but breaks a key mod in the process

Bethesda has quietly updated Skyrim with additional support for paid mods. Again.

Earlier today, December 5, Skyrim users began to notice a hefty new update for the RPG had gone live, weighing in at 12GB across all platforms. As noted on ResetEra, the update chiefly adds a brand new page to the in-game store, enabling users to pay for some player-created mods.

This new store page is called 'Creations,' and it looks to have replaced the 'Creation Club' community-driven page entirely, allowing for a place where mods and Creation Club content will exist in one place, according to the official patch notes.  That means that it's not all paid-for content - Skyrim users are reporting that there's both free and paid DLC in the Creations page, so you won't be shelling out real-world money in the form of a microtransaction currency for everything.

The Creations update also includes a raft of PC-specific features like ultrawide monitor and Steam Deck support, new console functionality (that's the in-game command console, not gaming consoles), and macro support.

Unfortunately, the new update has reportedly "broken" many existing Skyrim mods. According to numerous users in the ResetEra thread, the update has hit the popular 'SKSE64' mod for Skyrim, which is a critical script extension tool that enables swathes of other mods.

In other words, breaking this one mod could have a litany of knock-on effects for other Skyrim mods that use the script extension as a base. Fortunately, according to a NexusMods post from a community manager, Bethesda is apparently working with the team behind SKSE64 to help fix the mod.

Hours after the update went live, Bethesda finally acknowledged the Creations page in a series of website posts, calling it an "evolution" of the Creation Club. Bethesda is billing this as an overhaul of the existing modding storefront instead of one that replaces the previous system entirely. 

The developer previously published an FAQ for paid modders, affirming that Creations will bundle together all pre-existing mods and Creation Club content with new additions in one place. That FAQ also explains that only creators admitted to the Verified Creator Program will be able to have their content vetted to be sold via Creations.

Way back in 2015, Steam introduced a way for modders to charge for their creations via the store's workshop. Bethesda was of course involved in this, and together with Valve ultimately reversed the decision shortly afterwards in the wake of massive player backlash. However, paid mods still existed via the Creation Club for Skyrim.

This could well be a sign of things to come for Starfield. Mod support isn't slated to arrive for the spacefaring RPG until 2024, but if Bethesda is intending on permanently replacing the Creation Club - which has been around for Skyrim for years at this point - it marks a pretty significant change for the developer. It's currently safe to assume that Starfield will offer a similar Creations suite when its official mod support begins. How the feature may change between now and then remains to be seen. 

Check out our guide covering the best Skyrim mods for a full look at the best additions to download right now.