Mod.io is offering mod support to platforms that you don’t normally associate with having mods, now including the Nintendo Switch. With the arrival of Totally Accurate Battle Simulator on the Switch, Mod.io’s platform has now made the jump to Nintendo’s handheld platform, making it the eleventh such platform to join Mod.io’s ecosystem.
If you haven’t heard of Mod.io, you’ve almost certainly heard of Mod.db. Along with Nexus Mods, Mod.db is one of the premier mod databases on the internet, allowing mod creators to post their creations and users to download those creations. Like Nexus Mods, Mod.db is typically limited to PC games, which leaves out the vast majority of gamers.
Mod.io aims to fix that by bringing official mod support to games not just on PC but on every platform they're released. Users download mods via an in-game browser, while mod creators gain access to a handy platform that makes managing their mods a whole lot easier. Developers also benefit by having an easy avenue to distribute mod-making tools and gaining access to analytics that show how many people are both making and downloading mods.
"Making mods available to everyone matters most to us," said Mod.io CEO and co-founder Scott Resmansis. "Studios and publishers are looking for ways to offer their players more. Our official mod support makes UGC [user-generated content] tangible and accessible, with Mod.io able to provide studios with tools for Unity, Unreal, and a C++ SDK. As a category, UGC is poised to shape this decade of the video game industry, contributing an estimated $25 billion globally."
Although mods are undeniably popular, developers and publishers have often struggled with how to handle mod support. Some, like Bethesda, have leaned into the mod scene with programs like the Bethesda Creation Club, which allows creators to be paid for their work and get displayed officially in-game. Others, such as CD Projekt Red, have reached out to modders to help improve their games with official integration, ending their status as just computer mods to bring those improvements to every platform their games are sold.
Mod.io supports over 130 games, including Weird West, Ready or Not, Deep Rock Galactic, Humankind, SnowRunner, and Skater XL, and has over a million mods in its database. With how easy Mod.io makes modding for users, creators, and developers, I expect those numbers to only increase.