Nexus Mods has acquired SteamDB, a popular website that tracks Steam game data, including pricing and player counts. The site's founder, xPaw, cited burnout and a desire to move on as reasons for the sale, noting the increasing workload of keeping up with Steam's continuous growth.
xPaw stated that the internet landscape has shifted, contributing to a decline in passion for the project. After unsuccessful attempts to find a suitable team to continue SteamDB, xPaw decided to sell the platform. The founder expressed confidence that Nexus Mods will be able to enhance the project for gamers, developers, and publishers.
Nexus Mods outlined two primary motivations for the acquisition. Firstly, SteamDB's extensive historical data is valuable for their own data collection efforts, particularly for tracking older game versions that become harder to access after updates. Secondly, SteamDB's database can aid Nexus Mods' mod manager in better identifying game versions and compatibility, potentially allowing for more precise mod list creation.
Addressing concerns about the site's future revenue model, Nexus Mods acknowledged that SteamDB will transition to a for-profit operation, moving away from its previous reliance on community donations. However, the company stated that there are no immediate plans to introduce display or programmatic advertising on SteamDB. Instead, they may explore affiliate links and partnerships that offer genuine user value. Nexus Mods also assured users that "nothing you know and use today is getting taken away and sold back to you," indicating that the site will remain free to use.