Valve Corp made an ill-advised stab at charging players money for fan-made mods last year with Bethesda Game Studios’ Skyrim, and the move was so widely rejected by the gamer community that Valve quickly backpedaled on the decision. Now it seems that Valve is making a second attempt at paid mods, this time with its esports MOBA juggernaut, Dota 2.

Valve will be introducing a new Custom Game Pass to Dota 2, a $1 pass that will allow players to unlock additional features in Dota 2’s existing fan-made custom game modes. The mods themselves will continue to be free, but mod creators will have the ability to offer additional features to players who have purchased the Custom Game Pass.

This certainly seems to be a smarter way of doing things than Valve’s first attempt at paid mods, which allowed mod creators to charge players whatever they wanted for mods that had already been free to download for several years prior.

“We learned a lot from the community’s feedback on paid mods in Skyrim,” a Valve spokesperson told PC Gamer. “While it may appear similar on the surface, the system we’re providing for custom games is quite different.”

“One of the first concerns the community had was that paid mods meant an end to free content. In this new system, only a small number of custom games will have passes for sale, and those games will continue to be freely downloadable and playable, with Custom Game Passes representing optional additions.”

Of course, it there is a fine line between unlocking bonus content and being blocked from features by a pay wall, but after the way users wholeheartedly rejected paid mods in Skyrim, Valve will likely be keeping a close eye on the way content creators handle the new system to avoid a similar reaction from Dota 2 players, which are not exactly known for their easygoing nature.

The Custom Game Pass will be unique to each mod, but Valve has said that it will give players 30 days to change their minds and put the pass toward a different mod.

“This activation period will allow customers to continually reassess their choice to support a game, and to support the creators of the games they most enjoy playing,” Valve said. “We also now have a Steam-wide refund system that’ll help ensure custom game pass purchasers are happy with their pass.”

Players will also have 48 hours after purchasing their Custom Game Pass to receive a full refund for it.

You can find out more about Dota 2’s Custom Game Pass in PC Gamer’s interview with Valve.

Image courtesy of Valve Corp