Nexus Mods

Nexus Mods is a site which allows users to upload and download "mods" (modifications) for computer games. It acts as a source for the distribution of original content. It is one of the largest gaming modification websites on the web,[2] and, as of February 2021, had twenty-five million registered members. Founded in 2001 as a fan site,[1] Nexus Mods was modified into the website TESSsource in 2007.[1][3] The Nexus Mods network supported 1205 games as of February 2021, with a single forum and a wiki for site and mod-related topics.[4] Recently, the Nexus Mods site expanded to serve as a host for mod files for any modifiable PC game. The website's hosting and publication of various mods has been covered in the gaming and computer press.[5]

NexusMods
Front page of nexusmods.com
Type of site
Gaming fan site
OwnerBlack Tree Gaming Ltd.
Created byRobin Scott
URLnexusmods.com
Users25.1 million registered (February 2021)
LaunchedSeptember 2007 (2007-09)[1]
Current statusActive

History

Nexus Mods was founded by Robin Scott and a friend in August 2001 as a fan site for the Bethesda Softworks game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind under the name of Morrowind Chronicles.[1] After the success of Morrowind Chronicles, Scott and the friend he was working alongside founded a company by the name of GamingSource and created the website TESSource, which allowed users to upload their modifications and content for games in The Elder Scrolls video game series. Scott soon became tired with the revenue of the websites being split when he was operating the websites by himself, and made the decision to break away from TESSource in 2007 and founded his own website under the name of TESNexus. Scott made use of the TESSource website with his new venture. This resulted in more than 200 additional games being supported by early 2017.[3]

As of January 2013, Nexus Mods had a reported five million users.[6] Scott indicated in 2013 that the Nexus sites would remain free of corporate investment in the foreseeable future, also avoiding direct ads. Revenue instead came from premium memberships, with the site otherwise free.[7] As of 2014, it was one of the largest gaming modification websites on the web, with over 971 million downloads since its initial launch, and a member count of more than 8 million registered users.[2]

In November 2015, Nexus Mods announced that due to the release of Fallout 4, the website had over ten million registered members. In December,[6] the website reported a possible security breach of account names, and recommended that its members change their passwords.[6][8] Financial information was not breached, as the website uses PayPal for all transactions.[9]

Notable mods

Mods hosted on the site can change games in a number of ways, from adding a first-person perspective[10] to adding fully developed worldspaces with voice-acted quests.[11] Mods for The Witcher have been built for improving immersion,[12] and Nexus Mods is highly noted for its support of the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and is often regarded as the largest website supporting modifications for games in The Elder Scrolls series of games, with sites like PC Gamer and Kotaku referencing Nexus in multiple articles regarding modifications for The Elder Scrolls series.[13][14]

The website's hosting and publication of various mods has been covered in the gaming and computer press.[5] In 2016, Forbes praised the "Alternate Start - Live Another Life" mod posted to Nexus for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition in a feature article.[15] In January 2017, a Fallout 4 mod on Nexus Mods was covered in the Daily Express,[5] with other Fallout 4 mods reported on by WWG,[16] Paste Magazine,[17] the Christian Times,[18] and PC Gamer.[19][20]

Website

Features

Nexus Mods requires users to register before uploading any files or downloading files over a certain file-size limit.[2] User accounts integrate across all of the available sites, meaning a user only needs one account to make use of all of the Nexus websites. Each account and file page is also integrated with the Nexus Forums.

The website gives users the ability to:

  • Upload files to their modification's webpage
  • Create and display an information page about their modification
  • Upload images of their modification
  • Comment on file pages
  • Browse categories to find modifications for their games
  • Search for a specific modification for their games

In June 2016, wide-ranging theft of NexusMods mods for other corporate mod websites was noted in the press, with Nexus owner Robin Scott (Dark0ne) criticizing Bethesda's lack of response to the issue.[21] That month, Nexus added an extra permissions system to the website so stolen mods on other websites were easier to see. Although there was already an extensive permissions system for mods, the addition to the system for console modding allowed users to select what their intent for the mod was in terms of use, and where they would allow it to be available. It also allowed "console players to search the Nexus system for mods they can find via their console's Bethesda.net browser if they like the look of them."[22]

Supported games

The Nexus Mods network supported 1078 games as of October 2020, and features a single forum and a wiki for site and mod-related topics.[4] The main Nexus Mods web page lists the various games for which mods are available, along with the number of files, authors and downloads. As of December 2019, games with the most mods hosted were:

Recently, the Nexus Mods site expanded to serve as a host for mod files for any modifiable PC game.

Nexus Mod Manager

Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) is an open-source program associated with Nexus Mods[23] available for the Microsoft Windows platform that automates the download and installation of mods for seventeen games as of January 2015, among them The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 3.[24] Advantages of using NMM over manual mod installation include easy organization, installation, and uninstallation of mods. According to the Nexus site, NMM "integrates with the Nexus sites to provide you with a fast, efficient, and much less hassled modding experience."[25]

Nexus Mod Manager has since been replaced by Vortex, the official Nexus Mods mod manager with improved mod handling and a more modern interface.

See also

References
  1. "Interview with DarkOne". Bethesda Softworks. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  2. "Site statistics". NexusMods. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  3. "NexusForums". Black Tree Gaming Ltd. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  4. "NexusMods". Black Tree Gaming Ltd. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  5. Martin, Liam (January 27, 2017), Fallout 4 mods UPDATE: Epic battle comes to Xbox One but it's bad news for PS4 owners, Daily Express, retrieved January 3, 2017
  6. Storm, Darlene (December 9, 2015), Old database dump from Nexus Mods circulating in criminal circles: Change password, Computerworld, retrieved January 3, 2017
  7. Hamilton, Kirk. "Nexus Mods Owner Says 'F That' To Bringing On Investors". Kotaku. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  8. Morrison, Angus (December 8, 2015), Nexus Mods gets the all-clear—but change your password anyway, PCGamer
  9. Morrison, Angus (December 7, 2015), Nexus Mods user database may have been breached, PCGamer
  10. Megan Farokhmanesh. "Play Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes in first-person mode with this PC mod". Polygon.
  11. "Behind Falskaar, a massive new Skyrim mod, and the 19-year-old who spent a year building it". PC Gamer.
  12. Chalk, Andy (July 22, 2016), The Witcher 3 first-person mod gives gamers a Geralt's-eye view of the world, PC Gamer, retrieved January 3, 2017
  13. "The 50 best Skyrim mods". PC Gamer.
  14. Kirk Hamilton. "How To Get Skyrim Looking As Awesome As Computationally Possible". Kotaku. Gawker Media.
  15. Kain, Erik (October 31, 2016), "One 'Skyrim Special Edition' Mod You Need If You've Already Played 'Skyrim'", Forbes, retrieved January 3, 2017
  16. Hayes, Matthew (January 11, 2017), Fallout 4 Mod Turns the Game Into a Classic 90s Shooter, WWG, retrieved January 3, 2017
  17. McKenney, Kyle (June 21, 2016), Fallout 4 Console Mods Are Frustrating the Modding Community, Paste Magazine, retrieved January 3, 2017
  18. Villegas, Jackie (October 27, 2016), 'Fallout 4' mods update: Nexus mods improve gameplay; Bethesda clarifies restrictions on PS4 mods, Christian Times, retrieved January 3, 2017
  19. Livingston, Christopher (January 2017), This mod lets you play a badass '90s-style corridor shooter inside Fallout 4, PC Gamer, retrieved January 3, 2017
  20. Livingston, Christopher (January 2017), Watch me die a lot in Frost, a mod that turns Fallout 4 into a true survival game, PC Gamer, retrieved January 3, 2017
  21. Domirez, Darren (June 20, 2016), 'Skyrim', 'Fallout 4' Mods Hold Nexus Mod Owner Security Amid Apathetic Bethesda; Fallout 4 Mods Now Requires Steam-Linked Accounts, University Herald
  22. Higgins, Chris (June 18, 2016), Nexus Mods owner takes Bethesda.net mod theft into own hands, PCGamesN, retrieved January 3, 2017
  23. "Nexus Mod Manager". SourceForge.com. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  24. "Nexus Mod Manager - OPEN BETA". NexusMods.com. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  25. Nexus - Mod Manager site
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