{
  "id": 5105097,
  "title": "SteamDB acquired by Nexus Mods owner Chosen after founder says burnout made running the site unsustainable",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/steamdb-acquired-by-nexus-mods-owner-chosen-after-founder-says",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-02T14:48:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechSpot",
    "slug": "techspot",
    "url": "https://www.techspot.com/news/113712-steamdb-acquired-nexus-mods-after-13-years-independent.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "SteamDB, a widely used third-party database and analytics website for Valve's platform, has been acquired by Chosen, the owner of Nexus Mods. The co-founder of SteamDB, Pavel xPaw Djundik, expressed that the partnership was necessary as running the site had become unsustainable. He began developing the site with Marlamin in 2013, but as its popularity soared, the workload did too. Marlamin eventually stepped back from the project, leaving Djundik to handle the entire workload on his own. The rise of COVID and AI further exacerbated this issue, causing Djundik to experience burnout and question his continued involvement with the site.\n\nDjundik attempted to find a successor for the project a few years ago but couldn't locate anyone suitable. Consequently, he continued operating the site alone until he decided it was no longer viable for him to do so. In January, he began searching for a worthy partner who could carry on the legacy he had built. Chosen, the owner of Nexus Mods, has now fulfilled that role.\n\nWhile some individuals are concerned about the implications of this acquisition, Chosen's CEO, Victor Folmann, assured that the site will not be altered in ways that would affect its core essence. Instead, Chosen aims to provide the necessary resources, team, and long-term stability that SteamDB deserves. It is expected that SteamDB will be commercialized but will remain free to use, and no current content on the site will be moved behind a paywall. Additionally, SteamDB's data, such as build and file-history information, will be integrated with Nexus Mods to help identify game versions, flag incompatible mods, and warn users before Steam updates break their setups.",
  "summary": "Djundik writes that he started SteamDB with fellow co-founder Marlamin back in 2013. As the site grew in popularity, so did the workload. Marlamin later stepped back from the project, and what was a hobby for Djundik now requires enough hours to be a full-time job. Read Entire Article",
  "key_points": [
    "SteamDB, popular Valve analytics site, acquired by Nexus Mods owner Chosen",
    "Co-founder Pavel xPaw Djundik cites burnout, workload as reasons for sale",
    "Chosen CEO assures SteamDB's core essence, data, and free access will remain"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Rock Paper Shotgun",
        "title": "Aiming to supercharge The Blood of Dawnwalker's early mods, Nexus Mods release their own \"streamlined\" open-source Unreal modding tools",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/aiming-to-supercharge-the-blood-of-dawnwalkers-early-mods-nexus-mods",
        "published": "2026-09-02T10:02:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PC Gamer",
        "title": "SteamDB changes hands to Nexus Mods, which means it 'needs to make money' now—but there won't be ads or paywalls",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/steamdb-changes-hands-to-nexus-mods-which-means-it-needs-to-make",
        "published": "2026-09-02T15:10:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}