Technical director on modding monetization (text version in descripton)

We are not controlling the madding space and distribution. So at launch, there can't really be a walled garden. I think especially initially it won't be a problem as everyone is still learning and working together.

We have talked a lot with molders over the past few weeks and there seems to be a sentiment that there are 2 approaches to mods: (1) Mod Assets and (2) Mods for Players.

(1) Is basically an asset marketplace like Fab.com etc. This is pretty much entirely outside of our control and we don't have any plans around that at the moment. (2) Mario for Players generally have multiple options aswell. There are (I) Free Mods, (II) Donation / Humble Bundle / Itch, (Ill) Frcemium Mod, (IV) Paid Mods and (V) Closed Mods.

I. Free Mods generally have the highest level of acceptance and most vibrant ecosystems. The majority of modders prefer their mods to be free but they also would like a future where they can pay themselves and potentially expand to a team. These mods are often supported by platforms like CurseForge through Ads / Premium subscriptions.

II. Donation / Humble Bundle / Itch have a "Pay what you want. approach and generally well done mods show good revenue data -especially if players are prompted and the creator behind it is transparent with the funds. Some madders offer a patreon to emulate this model. This also doesn't have the drawback of a walled garden and high acceptance. Sadly there is also no 'security' in here.

III. Freemium Mods can offer the base mod but accept payment for certain benefits. One example here would be Optifine where you could purchase an Optifine cape. This provides an adventage and generally the Optifine cape seemed to be well accepted in the community.

IV. Paid Mods are generally a more 'safe' income approach for modders, especially when they are putting significant upfront effort into it but they are really inaccessible and turn a mod browser into a shopping mall. Feedback from players is extremely negative while that obviously depends on the platform - PC players is much more negative about them duet° mods being traditionally free. Additionally it results in mudding piracy.

V. Closed Mods are usually done by server networks. Hypixel Network uses server-side software to modity the server software to offer their own gameplay experience which allows various avenues for monetization. e.g. a World of Tanks minigame which would unlock new cosmetics for your tank and beyond. I think closed mods / running a server network is most "stable" income source but also has all the trouble of running a GaaS environment with all the positives and negatives.

Our initial approach is a "Wild West. We are internally not a fan of the inaccessibility of shopping mall mudding which strongly associates mods with money. We don't have a solid strategy yet and when we bring mudding into the game itself, we'd probably try to make the (II.) approach our first shot while finding a way to passively support creators using our creator program. We are also open to other strategies that strike this find balance of "accessible but rewarding' in a way that results in a great experience for everyone.