A huge announcement that Bethesda made this year at E3 was Skyrim: Special Edition. This is a remastered version of Skyrim that would be released for PC, Xbox One, and PS4, this time including console mods the same way Fallout 4 has.
They announced that the game will be free to PC players that currently own the game and all it’s DLC. However, console players will still have to pay for it. Pete Hines explained on Twitter their reasoning for why it’s free for PC players.
The gist of it is that PC players can already install mods to get the game looking pretty much exactly like the remastered version. They’re giving console players what PC players already have, which also includes the modding end of things.
Something to realize is that Bethesda is hosting the mods for consoles themselves. That takes money, considering the sheer number of mods that will be uploaded. Bandwidth isn’t free. There’s a lot of factors people aren’t considering when it comes to why console players have to pay for the game.
@SerpentMonkey we’re making a game available for Xbox one and PS4. It already exists on PC, with high res textures.
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) June 18, 2016
@SerpentMonkey because it’s for a new platform. Just like any other remaster for new platforms.
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) June 18, 2016
@SerpentMonkey so we are done debating why it isn’t free and moving on to the price?
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) June 18, 2016