Earlier this week, Robin “DarkOne” Scott announced that he sold Nexus Mods to a new owner, ending his nearly 24 years as the leader of the site that he founded in 2001. Scott has indicated that he will remain with Nexus Mods in some capacity while guiding the overall direction of the site. The new owner, Chosen, has also spoken out to assure fans that the valuable resource won’t be adding “aggressive monetization” or suddenly place mods behind a paywall.
Referred to by their Nexus Mods names in a statement from Scott, Foledinho (Victor), Rapsak (Marinus), and Taagen (Nikolai) are the three partners in Nexus Mods’ ownership under Chosen. This led to fears among players that they collectively plan to monetize the site and exploit the user base for short-term gains. In a post on Nexus Mods, Foledinho told fans that “mods will always be free.”
For the most part, Foledinho’s message was that few things would change. He went on to say that Chosen doesn’t claim ownership of any mods, nor will it charge users to download them. Foledinho indicated that Lifetime Premium subscriptions and free accounts will stay as they are, and he expressed admiration for the way Scott monetized the site in 2007.
“Honestly, we think it was done right,” noted Foledinho. “It enabled healthy growth while supporting the community. We have no plans to change the core of how Premium works. It gives users choice based on their needs–and that’s a good thing.”
“Monetization is hard and Nexus Mods is a complex platform,” added Foledinho. “What matters most is continuing to support mod authors, delight users, and keep the lights on. We’re not changing the core model. No aggressive monetization. No paid mods. If anything, we’re aiming for fewer ads, not more. We’ll take a community-first, listening approach, and we won’t compromise on what’s made Nexus Mods special.”
In a follow-up message, Chosen affirmed its commitment to maintaining the diversity and inclusion approach that Scott embraced during his ownership stint.
For now, Chosen seems to have said all the right things to assure fans that nothing will fundamentally change. However, Foledinho didn’t specify how the leadership team plans to reduce ads on the site without losing the income they bring in.
