In the future, “video game haberdasher” may be the sort of job kids can aspire to. Fans of Valve games have made more than $57 million by selling their virtual wares through the company’s Steam Workshop marketplace for user-generated content.
The workshop, which launched in 2011, allows people to submit digital items they make for inclusion and possible sale in games like Team Fortress 2, Dota 2 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive. If Valve approves it, they could end up making a cut of every item sold (like hats or special weapons) through the game’s digital storefront.
To capitalize on that success, Valve enabled the first two curated workshops for games made by third parties. Modders who enjoy Dungeon Defenders: Eternity and Chivalry: Medieval Warfare will now be able to sell their wares to players of those games, with support for more titles on the horizon.
The company is also giving creators new tools to track where their sales on Steam Workshop are coming from. Users will be able to view real-time sales data for their modded items, as well as per-item revenue breakdowns so they can see what’s currently the most profitable thing they’re selling.
