Multiplayer Skyrim mod still coming despite major code rework, say devs
Fus Roh D'oh!
There must be something in that icy water that makes the Elder Scrolls mod scene so volatile. Skyrim Together, a project to convert The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim into an online co-op adventure, was raking in a staggering $25,000 a month on Patreon up until allegations of code-theft from the Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) torpedoed it. The good news is that it's still in development, but you might be waiting a while. Yesterday on Reddit, the developers confirmed that the project is still alive despite the "entire codebase" being "scrapped", later clarified as just being in the middle of a major restructuring.
Despite developer "Ijustwantsteamdosh" dramatic declaration that that all code had been entirely scrapped, another member of the team - "f13rce_hax" - tried to put people at ease by explaining the situation better. They believe that much of the work that they'd done previously on Skyrim Together can be salvaged, with most components free to copy over to the revised version. Curiously, the modders insist that this massive and spontaneous rework "wasn't because of SKSE", but rather because they just thought it was a good time to do a rework of the mod. Given that it had just entered a popular backers-only beta phase, I remain sceptical.
A look at the mod before everything imploded.
The Together Team say that there's an official progress report coming soon, which should provide more information on the mod's current status. When asked if there was a second closed beta test planned, "Ijustwantsteamdosh" stated that the team would be "doing releases differently going forward". Whether that means public releases, purely internal testing or anything else is anyone's guess. Still, I'd imagine that the team are eager to prove to their audience (and Patreon backers) that the project is still alive and relatively well, so I'm personally hoping for a more public release.
Right now it's anyone's guess when we'll see anything playable out of Skyrim Together again. In the meantime, there's an Elder Scrolls Online expansion out soon to fill that gap. For more on the initial allegations, see Alec's coverage here.