Nexus Mods' owner Chosen acquires community database SteamDB

Chosen, the company that owns Nexus Mods, has acquired SteamDB from its founders, who ran the community database for 13 years. The two sides announced the deal on Sept. 2.

SteamDB co-founder xPaw said the decision to step back stems from burnout and a desire to hand the project to a team he trusted. "After COVID and with the rise of AI, the internet we once loved is gone, and with it my passion," he wrote. He said he had tried years ago to find someone to continue the project but could not find a team he was confident in, so he kept going alone as Steam's catalog and feature set kept growing.

Chosen CEO Victor Folmann said the company was drawn partly by wanting to track game updates from a modding perspective. He said SteamDB will keep its name, brand, community, and identity, and will not be folded into Nexus Mods. xPaw will stay on for the coming months to ease the transition. Folmann said the site, long run as a one-man operation, will now get a funded team and better infrastructure, security, and scalability.