The constant re-releasing of Bethesda’sThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimhas long been a meme amongst gamers, but this wouldn’t be the case if each new version was the same, vanilla game that initially launched on July 13, 2025. No, the only reason we all still talk about Skyrim is its thriving modding community. Truly, fan content is what has kept Skyrim alive, and fortunately, Bethesda has been smart enough to incorporate some of those mods into the various definitive versions.
This seems to be becoming a trend too, as recently CD Projekt Red included a number of popular mods intoVersion 4.0ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,making the game even more replayable. Truly, while official DLC is always better, so-called “definitive editions” of actively-modded games should include this kind of content whenever possible. Players get more content, makers get their efforts recognized and the “definitive version” becomes that much more “definitive.”
There are, of course, issues that arise when it comes to incorporating fan-made content into an official release. It needs to be adapted for a multi-platform environment, rigorously tested and reviewed to ensure that it does fit in well with the base content for one.
For another, there’s a question of compensation for mod authors. Game developers and publishers own their IP, no question about that. It can also be said that companies should not necessarily have to pay for work that was neither contracted nor requested. Still though, mod authors should get something in return for their contribution to an official release. It would help to further encourage creative mods for current and future games, and it’d help makers to develop a positive relationship with the fan base. Of course, it also means new players on new platforms get to enjoy even more high-quality content. Really, such an arrangement would be a win for everyone.
Also, if the inclusion of good community mods were to become routine, fans and new players both would have a lot more reason to look forward to a game’s so-called “definitive edition.” Seriously, just including already-released DLC and offering some new visual features is not exciting anymore. It’s convenient for newcomers, sure, but it does nothing whatsoever for those who’ve been with a game since Day One.
Adding in popular fan additions, fixes, items and quality-of-life upgrades would make such releases appealing to more than just new players. More than that, the new version could potentially be just as much of a “must-buy” to console-based players as the original was. Getting access to mods on console is still a huge deal, so it’s something many fans would jump at the chance to play. This would be especially true if content like large fan expansions were to be fully incorporated into the release.
A prime example of a must-have “definitive edition” would be a console re-release of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind with all of the top mods fully integrated into it. It’s more than twenty years old now, but Morrowind in 2023 is a much bigger, much more optimized experience than the old vanilla version. If Bethesda were to release an “anniversary edition” with all of the most popular mods and major additions such asTamriel Rebuiltincluded, it’d probably be an even bigger hit than 2016’sSkyrim Special Edition.Seriously, this is money on the table right here. The same is true of all the other heavily-modded games out there.
It might be tricky to manage, but if it can be done for Skyrim and for Witcher 3, then it can be done for other games. It should too, because everyone wins when “special,” “definitive” and “anniversary” releases of old games include community mods. Fans get more awesome content, developers/publishers get even more money, and mod authors get both some return for their efforts and more incentive to keep doing their best work. Seriously, why isn’t this standard practice already?
