I think there's a similar topic long long ago but anyway - I've paid someone for a mod (won't tell you which game tho, but its legal stuff was the same) 5 years ago. He had been developing it for a while for his own fun but ran into severe financial issues. I didn't want the mod but since he was my friend, I ended up paying a tiny sum, which to him was a lot, for the source codes. We made an agreement to keep it (the sale) between ourselves and that it was mine. I didn't plan to release the mod. I did use the mod later for others, but didn't charge them. As of present we've had more made (and $ exchanged) maybe more in the future. Money isn't always a pushing factor. Somedays I'm richer and I offer him $50 for a small job and he says no 'cause he's lazy or my request is for the moon. A month later he needs the money or has free time and we're good to go again. But of course I'm willing to wait. I don't think paid mods should be released on JKH unless the guy who paid for it is willing to let it go free for others to enjoy. Save the site and let the guy deal with trouble elsewhere if it arises. If someone genuinely wants the mod but doesn't want to fork out $, he'll have to learn how to make a similar one himself. This applies in the real world. The reducing quality of mods is debatable. Granted I may not have knowledge of what looks are the minimal standard out there, but I am very particular about how I want things to work in my mod. That's why all of these must be laid bare in the contract, that changes can be made (it'd probably cost more though) over time if needed. And there are a few people out there who have the passion to do it beautifully and want or can use extra $. Of course I wouldn't get any random Tom, Dick or Harry to make my stuff. I'd check up on interested people and see what their background is like. Promotes laziness no doubt, but sometimes one single try is enough to fuel personal interest. I'm now messing with one of the mod's source codes because of a tiny bit of success at changing things. It's exciting! What better than to create more things from there and save money by learning how to do it yourself? Still there are people who like to throw money around. Good for them if they have that kind of money. That being said, I've seen people who mod with extreme passion and give away their alpha releases. And when hard times fell, sell the final one for a bigass sum. It's murkier than what goes inside a sewer pipe.