Bethesda implements Steam-linking to protect modders from piracy

Anyone who wants to upload a Fallout 4 mod for PC or consoles will now need to link their Steam account to Bethesda.net. 

The policy change is being rolled out in the next Creation Kit update, and is likely an attempt to stop users pirating the work of PC modders by downloading mods from third-party websites and then re-uploading them as console mods under their own name. 

Mod support first came to consoles at the end of May, when Bethesda made them available on Xbox One. 

Soon after, PC modders began complaining that their work was being lifted from hosting sites before being resubmitted to Bethesda.net as an Xbox One mod. 

In response, Bethesda implored affected creators to file complaints and defend their work under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). 

The additional requirement of a Steam-linked Bethesda.net account should make it easier to track those accused of piracy. 

PlayStation 4 owners still waiting for mods to hit their platform of choice will be pleased to hear Bethesda is preparing to kick-off a closed beta, meaning the feature is slowly but surely nearing deployment.

That being said, there are some kinks to iron out, and as it stands texture issues, a lack of sound support, and a 900MB file limit are proving problematic. 

Bethesda says it's working with Sony to overcome those hurdles.