Nexus Mods buys SteamDB, prompting paywall fears from players

What's the deal? Nexus ModsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired SteamDBDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the site that has tracked SteamDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → games, player counts, and pricing history since 2013. Co-founder Pavel Djundik, known as xPaw, will stay involved over the coming months to help the transition. Terms were not disclosed.

Why now? Djundik said the growing workload of maintaining the database — effectively a full-time job — led to burnout. After failing to find a team he trusted, he began searching for a partner in January.

What's the endgame? The deal is meant to give SteamDB more resources and long-term stability. "SteamDB will continue to be SteamDB," Djundik said. "The goal is not to change what makes the project special."

What could go wrong? Players fear paywalls for popular tools such as the Price History tracker and Steam Charts, which tracks active player counts for new releases. Djundik pushed back: "Everything that's free on SteamDB today stays free."

The signal: The backlash centres on distrust of Nexus Mods, whose own ownership changed hands in June 2025 to criticism from parts of the community. With that same owner now controlling SteamDB, the deal reflects how gaming's independent tools are increasingly folding into consolidated hands — and how wary users are of what follows.

Read more: vice.com

Image credit: Steamdb