Bethesda Abandons Fallout 4 And Skyrim Mod Support On PS4, Blames Sony Bureaucracy

by Brandon Hill — Friday, September 09, 2016, 11:00 AM EDT

We’ve got some bad news to deliver for PlayStation 4 gamers out there (and no, we’re not talking about the lack of 4K Blu-ray disc support on the PlayStation 4 Pro). While PC gamers were blessed with Fallout 4 mods and the Creation Kit back in late April, Bethesda made it clear that the PlayStation 4 would receive support in June. That time has come and go, and we now know why.

Bethesda announced today that it has suspended its plans to offer mod support on the PlayStation 4 for Fallout 4 and Skyrim. To put it bluntly, Sony was the primary reason for this decision — it was not due to any hardware or technical issues regarding software in getting mods to work on the game console.

“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,” said Bethesda in a blog posting.

“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,” the developer added. “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.”

This is unfortunate news considering that the Xbox One gained mod support back in May, shortly after the PC. Bethesda considers mod support an “important initiative” and has tried everything in its power to persuade Sony to give in to no avail.

So for now, Bethesda has put PlayStation 4 mod support on the back burner, but it will provide a status update if “the situation changes”. In the meantime, PC and Xbox One users will continue to enjoy their mods and snicker at their PlayStation 4 counterparts.

Tags: Sony, bethesda, Skyrim, PlayStation 4, fallout 4

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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