Modders are the unsung heroes of the gaming industry. Without them, genres like MOBAs (born from RTS mods like StarCraft and Warcraft III), auto battlers (evolving from MOBAs like Dota 2), and even Battle Royale (thanks to an ARMA 2 mod) wouldn't exist. That's why Valve's recent announcement is so significant.
Valve has updated its Source SDK, incorporating the complete Team Fortress 2 codebase. This empowers modders to build upon a robust, established foundation, creating entirely new games. While the license requires these creations and their content to remain free, history shows that successful free projects often evolve into commercially viable ventures.
This update also benefits existing Source engine multiplayer games with a major overhaul. Improvements include support for 64-bit executables, a scalable UI and HUD, crucial fixes for client-side prediction issues, and various other enhancements.
This is a monumental step forward for modders, and we eagerly anticipate the innovative and groundbreaking games that will undoubtedly emerge.