Microsoft has been rumored to be looking more deeply into mod support for Xbox One for quite a while, thanks to job listings we wrote about in the past. Now, thanks to some internal documents, we have a better idea of how Microsoft plans to turn Xbox One into a great platform for mods and for developers who want to allow mods in their games. For those who don't know, mods are usually community-created maps, items, skins, and other in-game features that can be used to "modify" an existing game, primarily on Windows PC. As of this writing, developers have to set up their own systems and services to bring mods to Xbox One. Halo 5 Forge, Fallout 4, and Skyrim Special Edition are a few prominent games that have their own modding systems, built by their respective studios. Devs, of course, will continue to be able to do that if they so choose, but Microsoft is setting up a system that would not only provide much of the infrastructure required to set up these features but also surface mods directly in a new section in the Xbox Store, similar to the Steam Workshop, to make them easier to discover. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more

Xbox Community Content

Expected to arrive "later this summer," according to the presentation, the new Xbox Community Content platform is a new infrastructure built for developers to help support user-generated content (UGC), or mods, within their games. Microsoft noted Minecraft's Partner Program and community marketplace as an example of how mods have improved the game. If these plans go ahead, developers will be able to define what constitute mods in their games, as well as deciding monetization (or lack thereof). A developer might decide to only allow skins or texture updates but could also include gameplay-modifying features such as weapons, maps, or even full quests or campaigns.