We last heard from Bethesda about the long-promised Fallout 4 and Skyrim mod support for PS4 via their Twitter, where they posted, “We’re working w/ Sony on Fallout 4 mod support for PS4. The process is still under evaluation. As soon as we learn more, we will share news.” Now it seems that evaluation process didn’t go according to plan, as Bethesda announced on Friday that Sony has blocked them from providing PS4 console mod support for both Fallout 4 and Skyrim: Special Edition . If you haven’t been paying attention to the Bethesda console mod situation, check out this excellent explainer. But it’s sufficient to say that Sony just handed Microsoft and the Xbox One a massive win.
We’re working w/ Sony on Fallout 4 Mod support for PS4. The process is still under evaluation. As soon as we learn more, we will share news.
— Fallout (@Fallout) August 1, 2016
Here’s the full text of Bethesda’s latest announcement regarding PS4 mods:
“After months of discussion with Sony, we regret to say that while we have long been ready to offer mod support on PlayStation 4, Sony has informed us they will not approve user mods the way they should work: where users can do anything they want for either Fallout 4 or Skyrim Special Edition.
Like you, we are disappointed by Sony’s decision given the considerable time and effort we have put into this project, and the amount of time our fans have waited for mod support to arrive. We consider this an important initiative and we hope to find other ways user mods can be available for our PlayStation audience. However, until Sony will allow us to offer proper mod support for PS4, that content for Fallout 4 and Skyrim on PlayStation 4 will not be available.
We will provide an update if and when this situation changes.”
This is a disappointing conclusion to nearly a year of waiting. Fallout 4 has already seen all of its planned DLC released, so mod support would have been the last, best option for a continual stream of new content. It now seems that won’t happen, unless you own an Xbox One.
Considering the release of Fallout 4 Xbox One mods drove a massive spike of traffic to the game, this seems like a bewildering and unfortunate choice on Sony’s part. With Skyrim: Special Edition coming to PS4 on Oct. 28, this move is sure to hurt Bethesda’s sales numbers on the console with the biggest install base.
If you’re lucky enough to be an Xbox One Fallout 4 player, check out our mod installation guide. If, instead, you’re a pissed off PS4 Fallout 4 player, considering directing your anger toward a concerted campaign to convince Sony to reverse this boneheaded decision.
