Evolve Won't Have Mod Support At Launch, But Maybe Later

When you hear Evolve's premise, it's not exactly difficult to trace its lineage back to Left 4 Dead. Four vs one asymmetrical human vs monster competitive co-op? It's a markedly different experience from developer Turtle Rock's previous work (they collaborated with Valve) once you're on the hunt, but it's a natural, er, evolution of the undead phenom. Left 4 Dead's staying power, however, wasn't entirely homegrown. Valve and Turtle Rock gave it festering brains and an undying heart, but modders gave it legs. What about Evolve, though? I'm optimistic about what I've played, but I could definitely see it fading into obscurity without frequent support. Are mods a solution? Maybe, but not straight out the gate.

I spoke with Turtle Rock co-founder Phil Robb, and he said that mods are a possibility, but tools aren't actively being developed right now.

"We're not against it," he told RPS. "I'm a big fan of that kind of stuff. I mean, if it ends up coming to be, then that's awesome. But we're still very much in development. I don't think we have anything concrete yet."

It's unfortunate, but also understandable given that Turtle Rock is a single small-ish studio developing for both PC and console. So if mod tools make the cut, it likely won't be until after Evolve has already slain its fair share of monsters and men. Just to be sure, I asked if mod support was off the table until after Evolve launches, and Robb replied:

"Probably, yeah."

But he did seem pretty keen on getting it into the game eventually. Hopefully, then, it's only a matter of time. My full impressions (with video!) of Evolve will be up soon. Until then, though, I will say that it's very good, and I think mods stand to curtail some of what I perceive as its biggest potential flaws. Also, if you must know, Phil Robb's beard is excellent as well, and I think it has a great shot at living up to all the hype. It's already technically moddable, but I wouldn't advise it.