Nexus Mods founder steps back after 24 years, citing stress and burnout

One of the greatest games I ever played was a mod. It was called Elements of Style, and while it used Max Payne 2 as a base, it introduced new gun effects, let you do cartwheels and backflips, and even had its own soundtrack, essentially turning Remedy's shooter into a considerably more violent version of The Matrix. I still play Brutal Doom. Deus Ex is better with GMDX. If we're getting nostalgic, Counter-Strike started as a mod for Half-Life - and oh, do I long for the days of Zombie Panic and The Hidden. Essentially, mods and PC gaming are synonymous; without one, there is no other. The home of handcrafted add-ons and Thomas the Tank Engine character swaps, after 24 years, the creator of Nexus Mods is stepping back.

The best PC games are often also the most moddable. Fallout New Vegas. Cyberpunk 2077. Elden Ring. Whether you're searching for tiny tweaks to frustrating gameplay features or total top-to-bottom conversions, Nexus Mods is almost always your first stop. Now, original creator 'DarkOne' explains that they are stepping back and handing ownership and management to a new team.

"After almost 24 years of running Nexus Mods, the time has come for me to step back from the day-to-day management of the site," DarkOne says. "This isn't a decision I've made lightly - far from it - but one I think is in both my and the community's best interests. I started this project back in 2001, in my bedroom, with a 56k modem, an excitement for the upcoming release of Morrowind, and with no grand ambitions or intentions. I didn't set out to build a business, I just wanted to make a place where modders could share their work without worrying it would vanish into the internet either the next time a fansite went offline or a publisher decided they were done with it. That idea grew legs, sprouted arms, and turned into Nexus Mods."

"Since then, this site has been my entire adult life. Every single day, for over two decades, I've been 'on call,' whether it was fixing issues, reading feedback, pushing updates, or getting pulled into the latest bit of community drama. It's been rewarding, sometimes chaotic, often exhausting and always personal. Somewhere along the way, I forgot to step back and breathe, or sleep properly. The dilemma of running a major social network that does not rest.

"The strain of being responsible for the behemoth I created has taken its toll," DarkOne continues. "The stress of the job has been a regular source of anxiety and stress-related health issues. I realised that I have been burning out and this started to have an impact on my staff and Nexus Mods as a whole. So, I firmly believe that the best thing for the future of Nexus Mods is for me to step aside and bring in new leadership to steer the business forward with renewed energy to make Nexus Mods the modding community we all truly deserve."

DarkOne explains that they have been gradually handing over management of Nexus Mods for the past few months, while searching for the right people to take the site over formally. The creator also says that, as far as users are concerned, Nexus Mods is unlikely to change in any significant way, and that the site will remain "mod-author-focused."

"Finding a new owner who would be able to understand and respect the myriad intricacies of both Nexus Mods as a business and the wider modding community was essential," DarkOne says. "After months of meetings, face-to-face talks, and a whole lot of soul searching, I am thrilled to say that I truly believe I have found the exact right people for the task.

"So yes, the ownership of Nexus Mods has changed hands, but I want to be clear, this isn't some corporate 'exit' or a backroom deal. This is me doing something I probably should've done years ago: taking care of myself.

"What's changing now is simply the formality of it, making sure the right people are in place to guide Nexus Mods into the next era," DarkOne concludes. "That includes some structural updates to the company ownership that we aren't shouting about, but I want to be transparent: they're about long-term stability, not changing the values or direction of the platform. Nexus Mods is community-first and mod-author focused, that's not up for negotiation."

As Nexus changes hands, check out the best Fallout New Vegas mods of all time, or maybe go straight for the classics with the best Skyrim mods.

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