Nexus Mods, the largest video game modding platform, has bought SteamDB, the leading third-party database for Steam statistics that Valve does not publish itself, ending its long run as a one-person project. The acquisition has unsettled parts of the gaming community, who fear that new ownership could bring monetisation, adverts or other unwelcome changes to a tool widely relied upon for tracking player counts, prices and sales trends.

SteamDB was built and largely run single-handedly by Pavel "xPaw" Djundik, who said burnout, the growing difficulty of keeping pace with Steam's expansion, and his frustration with the rise of AI drove him to seek a buyer, a search he began in January. He described Nexus Mods as a "worthy partner" that would preserve the site's identity while giving it more resources and stability, though he did not disclose the sale price. Reaction on Reddit and X has been largely sceptical, with some pointing to Nexus Mods' own acquisition last year by growth-focused firm Chosen and warning that SteamDB could eventually see ads or subscription plans similar to those on Nexus Mods.