Smartly Dressed Games Modding Policy
57 Studios™ operates within a modding ecosystem governed by the policies and published guidance of Smartly Dressed Games (SDG), the independent studio behind Unturned™. Understanding those policies is not optional for anyone who builds, sells, or distributes Unturned mods commercially. This article is 57 Studios' working interpretation of SDG's modding framework — what it permits, what it explicitly prohibits, and where the judgment calls live. It is updated when SDG publishes new guidance or when direct correspondence with SDG clarifies a previously uncertain point.
This document is not a substitute for reading the official SDG documentation directly. All Unturned™ mod authors should bookmark and periodically review the official modding documentation at https://docs.smartlydressedgames.com/en/stable/. The Unturned™ Steam store page is at https://store.steampowered.com/app/304930/Unturned/.
Overview: SDG's philosophy on community modding
Smartly Dressed Games has maintained an explicitly pro-modding stance since Unturned's public release. Nelson Sexton, the founder and primary developer of SDG and Unturned, has consistently stated that community modding is a core part of the game's identity and longevity. The Steam Workshop integration, the open .dat configuration format, the publicly documented Unity bundle pipeline, and the active support for server-side Workshop downloads all reflect a deliberate design choice to make Unturned extensible by the community.
SDG's approach to governing modding activity is grounded in a small number of clear prohibitions combined with broad latitude for community creativity. Unlike game publishers who require formal licensing agreements for mod distribution, SDG relies primarily on documented community guidelines and the Steam Workshop terms of service. The result is a modding community that has produced thousands of Workshop items, dozens of commercial mod storefronts, and a sustained economy of community-built content that has extended Unturned's playable lifespan well beyond what first-party content alone could achieve.
For 57 Studios, this modding-friendly stance is the foundation of the entire business. Every commercial product 57 Studios sells through its Tebex storefront exists within the space SDG has carved out for community modders. The studio treats its compliance with SDG's framework as non-negotiable — not merely because violations carry legal and commercial risk, but because the community as a whole benefits from modders operating responsibly within the framework Nelson Sexton has created.
57 Studios' working relationship with SDG
57 Studios has corresponded directly with Nelson Sexton on policy questions since the studio's founding. Nelson has been consistently responsive when approached with specific, good-faith questions about what the modding guidelines permit. The guidance received through that correspondence informs this document where official published guidance does not speak directly to a scenario. Where this document reflects guidance received through direct correspondence, it is noted with an appropriate qualifier.
The governing documents
The SDG modding policy is distributed across several sources. A modder who wants to understand the full framework must engage with all of them, because no single document contains the complete picture.
| Source | What it covers | Authority level |
|---|---|---|
| SDG Modding Documentation | Technical reference for the mod pipeline: asset bundles, .dat fields, GUID management, Unity project setup | Primary — authoritative technical and policy reference |
| Steam Workshop Terms of Service | Governs content uploaded to the Steam Workshop; Valve's rules apply on top of SDG's | Co-primary — both must be satisfied simultaneously |
| SDG Community Forums and Discord | Nelson Sexton posts clarifications and policy updates here | Secondary — authoritative guidance but not formal documentation |
| Direct SDG Correspondence | For specific commercial or content questions that published guidance does not resolve | Case-by-case — responses are guidance, not formal legal opinions |
Official documentation takes precedence
Where this article's interpretation conflicts with the current text of the official SDG documentation, the official documentation wins. This article is 57 Studios' working interpretation as of the document history date, and SDG may update its policies without advance notice to third-party modders. The document history section at the end of this article records when this document was last reviewed against the current SDG documentation.
What SDG permits
SDG's published guidance and Nelson Sexton's documented public statements identify the following as permitted modding activities. This is not an exhaustive list — the general principle is that original creative work that extends Unturned without infringing third-party rights and without violating platform terms is permitted.
Permitted: original content mods
Creating original 3D models, textures, sounds, and configuration assets for Unturned is the core case that SDG's modding pipeline is designed to support. Mods that consist of original authorship — geometry, materials, animations, .dat configurations — that extend the game with new items, vehicles, maps, characters, or mechanics are permitted without restriction other than the general content standards described in the prohibitions section below.
The SDG modding documentation at https://docs.smartlydressedgames.com/en/stable/ provides the full technical specification for how original content mods are structured and distributed. The documentation covers the Unity asset bundle pipeline, the .dat configuration format, the GUID system for item identification, and the Workshop submission process. A modder who follows the technical documentation and authors original content is operating squarely within SDG's intended use case.
57 Studios' practice: every item, vehicle, and character mod released by 57 Studios is built from original authorship. The studio maintains provenance records for all assets — documentation of who authored each model, texture, and sound — so that originality can be confirmed at any point.
Permitted: map mods
Custom maps distributed through the Steam Workshop are explicitly supported. SDG provides the Unturned mapping tools, and the modding documentation covers the full mapping workflow. Maps may include custom terrain, custom objects, custom level data, and custom spawn configurations. Large-scale map projects — including the kinds of roleplay-oriented maps used on RP servers like Horizon Life — are within the supported use case.
Permitted: gamemode and server-side plugin mods
Server-side modifications that alter gameplay rules, economy systems, player progression, and gamemode logic are permitted. SDG's server plugin architecture is designed to support community-built gamemode extensions. This includes the kind of roleplay-server economy systems, job systems, and player-progression systems that platforms like Horizon Life RP depend on. The server plugin API is documented and its use is actively encouraged.
Permitted: commercial distribution via external storefronts
Commercial permission is real but implicit
SDG's commercial modding tolerance is not documented in a formal license agreement — it is expressed through Nelson Sexton's consistent public statements and the absence of enforcement action against the commercial modding community. This implicit permission is durable but not unconditional.
SDG permits the commercial sale of Unturned mods through external storefronts — including Tebex — subject to the constraints described in the commercial mod constraints section below. This is the policy that 57 Studios' entire commercial operation depends on. Nelson Sexton has confirmed this position in public forum posts and in direct correspondence with community members who have asked specifically.
The key structural point is that SDG does not claim a revenue share or require a formal commercial license for mods sold through external storefronts. The permission is implicit in SDG's stated support for commercial modding rather than stated in a formal written commercial license agreement. This is an unusual arrangement compared to most commercial modding ecosystems; it reflects Nelson Sexton's personal philosophy that the community's commercial activity benefits Unturned's health and longevity as a game.
Reference for downstream readers
The commercial distribution framework is covered in full detail in Tebex and Commercial Monetization, the next article in this legal series. The present article covers the policy basis for commercial modding; the next article covers the practical implementation.
Permitted: branding and naming conventions
Mod authors may use Unturned™ in descriptive contexts (e.g., "a mod for Unturned", "compatible with Unturned") to describe their mods' compatibility. This is standard nominative use of the trademark and is not prohibited. What is not permitted is branding a mod or storefront in a way that implies affiliation with, endorsement by, or official status within SDG or Unturned.
57 Studios' practice: all 57 Studios marketing materials describe products as "mods for Unturned™" or "compatible with Unturned™" and include the trademark symbol on first mention per the studio's brand style guide. The studio does not represent any of its mods as official SDG content in any channel.
Permitted: derivative artistic content
Fan art, promotional artwork, thumbnail images, and non-playable derivative creative works based on Unturned's aesthetic are generally tolerated by SDG, consistent with how most game publishers handle fan creative works. SDG has not taken enforcement action against fan creative works. This extends to the kind of server promotional artwork that RP servers commission from artists — branding materials that reference Unturned's visual identity are within the community norm.
Permitted: reskins of the modder's own prior work
A modder who has authored original assets may create reskins and variants of those assets without restriction, because the reskins derive from the modder's own original work. This is distinct from reskinning SDG's vanilla assets or third-party game assets, which carries different policy considerations.
What SDG prohibits
The prohibitions are fewer in number than the permissions, but they are firm. Violating these prohibitions risks Workshop removal, DMCA takedowns, account suspension, and the loss of the modding permissions that SDG extends to the community as a whole.
Prohibited: skin reuploads from other games
SDG's most clearly stated prohibition is against reuploading skin assets, character models, weapon models, or other content extracted from other games. This includes but is not limited to:
- Models extracted from other games' asset files (Counter-Strike, Rust, ARMA, Call of Duty, DayZ, and others) and repackaged as Unturned mods.
- Texture rips from other games applied to Unturned items.
- Sound assets extracted from other games and packaged into Unturned bundles.
- Animations ripped from other games and imported into Unturned weapon or character prefabs.
This prohibition exists because reuploading another game's assets violates the copyright of that game's developer, exposes the mod author to DMCA liability, exposes SDG as the platform operator to secondary liability, and creates legal and reputational risk for the modding community as a whole. SDG actively monitors the Workshop for such content and removes it when discovered.
Zero tolerance
57 Studios does not upload any third-party game assets. Every 3D model, texture, and sound in a 57 Studios mod is either original authorship by the studio, licensed from a third party with a license that explicitly permits use in commercial derivative works, or a modified version of original work with confirmed original authorship. This is not a policy preference — it is a legal requirement and a condition of the studio's continued ability to operate commercially within the Unturned ecosystem.
Prohibited: paid mods on the Steam Workshop
The Steam Workshop does not permit charging players for mod access through the Workshop's own distribution mechanism. Workshop content distributed to players must be free to download through the Workshop. The commercial channel for paid Unturned mods is an external storefront (Tebex), not the Workshop itself.
This is a Steam-level restriction in Valve's Workshop policies, not an SDG-specific rule, but SDG's modding framework is designed around it: mods are distributed on the Workshop free of charge, while commercial content is licensed and delivered through server-side mechanisms that do not require a Workshop paywall. The architecture is described in detail in Tebex and Commercial Monetization.
Prohibited: impersonating SDG or Nelson Sexton
No mod author may represent their work as officially produced by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Smartly Dressed Games or Nelson Sexton. Storefront listings, Workshop descriptions, promotional materials, and community communications must not imply official status. This includes implying that a mod was commissioned by SDG, that SDG has reviewed and certified the mod's quality, or that the mod is in any way an extension of SDG's official product roadmap.
Prohibited: content that violates platform terms of service
Both the Steam Workshop and the Tebex platform have their own content standards that apply independently of SDG's modding guidelines. Content that violates those standards — explicit sexual content, content that promotes real-world violence against specific individuals or groups, content targeting protected groups with hate speech — is prohibited and will be removed by the respective platform. SDG applies the Steam Workshop content standards to Workshop-distributed mods as a baseline.
Prohibited: modifications to SDG's proprietary source assets
The Unturned game client and server binaries are SDG's proprietary software. Decompiling, reverse-engineering, or modifying the game client or server beyond what the documented modding API exposes is not permitted. The modding API consists of the documented .dat configuration layer, the Unity asset bundle pipeline, and the server plugin API. Actions outside those documented surfaces — memory patching, binary modification, packet injection, decompilation of the client binary — are outside the scope of permitted modding and may constitute a violation of the Steam Subscriber Agreement in addition to SDG's guidelines.
Prohibited: misrepresentation of asset provenance
Representing third-party assets as original work in a commercial mod context is prohibited on multiple grounds. It violates the rights of the actual asset author, it violates SDG's community guidelines on reuploaded content, and it exposes the seller to copyright infringement liability. Any mod sold commercially through 57 Studios' storefront has documented asset provenance that can be reviewed internally.
Visualization: SDG permission framework
The following decision flowchart represents 57 Studios' interpretation of SDG's permission framework for any given mod activity. This flowchart is a working tool, not a legal determination.
Commercial mod constraints
The permission to sell Unturned mods through external storefronts is real and well-established within the community. It comes with a set of constraints that 57 Studios treats as binding.
Constraint 1: No Workshop paywall
Mod files distributed through the Steam Workshop must remain free to download. Commercial monetization must be implemented through server-side licensing — the server checks a player's entitlement (typically via a Tebex-delivered in-game command or permission flag) and grants access accordingly. The Workshop is the content delivery vehicle; the commercial transaction happens outside the Workshop. A mod author who attempts to gate Workshop content behind a purchase link — even informally, by making the Workshop mod private and sharing access only with purchasers — is operating outside the permitted model.
Constraint 2: No misrepresentation of SDG endorsement
Commercial mod storefronts must not imply that SDG or Nelson Sexton endorses the commercial products. The storefront copy must clearly identify the seller as a third-party community mod author. Language like "officially supported by Smartly Dressed Games," "endorsed by Nelson Sexton," "an official Unturned expansion," or any similar phrasing is prohibited regardless of how common such language might be informally.
Constraint 3: Responsible monetization practices
This constraint is not formally published in SDG policy text, but Nelson Sexton has indicated in community discussions that exploitative monetization practices are contrary to the spirit of the community modding framework. SDG has the authority to revoke implicit commercial modding permissions if commercial practices in the community become broadly harmful to the game's reputation. The community operates within a framework that depends on Nelson Sexton's continued goodwill; practices that abuse that goodwill put every modder's commercial activity at risk.
Practices 57 Studios avoids specifically:
- Pay-to-win mechanics that make the game unplayable without a purchase.
- Randomized reward mechanics where players do not know what they are purchasing before the transaction.
- Fabricated scarcity for digital goods with no genuine production constraint.
- Pricing structures designed to extract maximum revenue from players who feel social pressure to purchase.
57 Studios' practice: all commercial mods are priced at flat rates. Players know exactly what they are purchasing before the transaction completes. No randomized or surprise mechanics are used.
Constraint 4: DMCA compliance
A commercial modder who sells content that infringes third-party copyrights does not gain protection from that infringement by virtue of SDG's commercial modding tolerance. Copyright enforcement is between the rights holder and the infringer. SDG will cooperate with valid DMCA requests affecting Workshop-hosted content. Selling infringing content commercially increases both the potential damages exposure and the likelihood that a rights holder will invest in pursuing a DMCA action.
Two rule sets, both mandatory
SDG's modding guidelines and Tebex's platform terms are separate documents with separate enforcement mechanisms. Complying with one does not confer compliance with the other. A commercial modder must satisfy both simultaneously.
Constraint 5: Compliance with Tebex platform terms
Commercial mod sales through Tebex must comply with Tebex's own platform terms in addition to SDG's modding guidelines. Tebex has content standards, payout requirements, identity verification requirements, and terms governing what can be sold through its platform. A modder operating a Tebex storefront is bound by both SDG's modding guidelines and Tebex's platform terms simultaneously.
Nelson Sexton's documented positions
Nelson Sexton has made a number of statements in community-visible channels — forums, Discord, Twitter/X — that the 57 Studios team treats as authoritative interpretive guidance even where they are not part of the formal documentation. These statements represent the closest thing the community has to formal guidance on policy questions that the documentation does not address directly.
Source note
The positions below are paraphrases of public statements. 57 Studios does not archive or reproduce the full text of Nelson's communications. For exact quotations, consult the SDG Discord server and the Unturned forum archives. Where 57 Studios received clarification through direct correspondence, that correspondence remains private, and only the general conclusion is reflected here.
| Position | Context | 57 Studios' operational interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Community modding is a core feature of Unturned's design | Repeated public statements since early access | SDG will not restrict modding activity in ways that undermine the mod economy without significant cause |
| Selling mods through external storefronts is acceptable | Forum response to direct question; repeated in community Discord | The Tebex commercial model is within SDG's tolerance; 57 Studios operates commercially without a formal license agreement |
| Reuploading assets from other games is unacceptable and will result in Workshop removal | Direct Workshop enforcement actions and public statements | This prohibition is actively enforced, not merely advisory; any content with unverifiable provenance is a liability |
| The Workshop is for free content distribution; commercial channels must be external | Consistent policy since Workshop integration | No paid Workshop downloads; the Tebex model is the correct architecture |
| SDG correspondence is available for specific policy questions from good-faith community members | Stated in community channels | Policy questions should be taken to SDG directly when this document does not resolve them; adversarial or bad-faith questions are unlikely to receive responses |
| SDG does not take a revenue share from community commercial sales | Stated in response to community questions about royalties | 57 Studios does not pay royalties to SDG on Tebex revenue |
Workshop content categories: supported vs. cautioned vs. prohibited
Based on SDG's documentation, enforcement actions, and community guidance, 57 Studios has assembled the following reference table for Workshop content categories. This table is the studio's internal working reference for categorizing proposed new mod content.
| Content category | SDG position | Risk level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original weapon mods | Supported | Low | Full .dat documentation available; standard use case |
| Original vehicle mods | Supported | Low | Full .dat documentation; vehicle pipeline documented |
| Custom maps | Supported | Low | Mapping tools provided by SDG; standard use case |
| Original character and NPC models | Supported | Low | Standard asset bundle pipeline |
| Gamemode plugins | Supported | Low | Server-side API documented |
| Economy and RP systems | Supported | Low | Standard server-side plugin scope |
| Commercial sales via Tebex | Supported with constraints | Low-Medium | Commercial constraints apply; see above |
| Fan promotional artwork | Tolerated | Low | Standard fan creative use; does not imply commercial relationship with SDG |
| Reskins of original SDG vanilla assets for non-commercial mods | Caution | Medium | Derivative use of SDG's own assets; permissible for personal/free mods; gray area for commercial |
| Reskins of original SDG vanilla assets for commercial mods | Caution | High | Contact SDG directly before commercial release of SDG-derived content |
| Sound mods using royalty-free sounds | Generally tolerated | Low-Medium | Depends on specific license of audio source; must confirm commercial license permits this use |
| Sound mods using extracted third-party game audio | Prohibited | Critical | Direct copyright violation of the source game's developer |
| Third-party game asset reuploads | Prohibited | Critical | Active Workshop enforcement; DMCA exposure |
| Adult or explicit content | Prohibited | Critical | Platform ToS violation on Steam Workshop and Tebex |
| SDG impersonation in any channel | Prohibited | High | Misrepresentation; reputation risk to both 57 Studios and SDG |
| Decompiled client or server modifications | Prohibited | Critical | Outside documented modding API; likely violates Steam Subscriber Agreement |
Source-asset reuse within SDG's own content
A nuanced area of the modding policy concerns the use of SDG's own vanilla assets — the base game's textures, models, sounds, and configuration files — as the starting point for a mod. This is one of the most common questions in the Unturned modding community, and the answer is not fully resolved by the published documentation.
SDG's published stance is that the game's data files are accessible to modders for reference purposes and that modders may use SDG's asset structures as a learning reference for their own original work. The .dat file format, the bone naming conventions, and the configuration patterns are all published in the documentation precisely so that modders can replicate and extend them.
What is less clear — and where 57 Studios operates conservatively — is whether directly including SDG's vanilla asset files (unmodified texture files, unmodified model files, unmodified audio files) in a distributed mod is permitted. SDG has not published an explicit policy on this point as of the current document version. The conservative position, which 57 Studios maintains, is:
- Use SDG's assets as reference and inspiration for original authorship.
- Do not include SDG's vanilla asset files verbatim in distributed mods.
- When producing a retexture of a vanilla asset for non-commercial community distribution, note this in the Workshop description.
- For commercial content, avoid derivative use of SDG's vanilla assets entirely, or contact SDG directly for written confirmation of the applicable terms.
- When in doubt, contact SDG directly before publishing.
Gray area acknowledgment
The reuse of SDG's own vanilla assets within derivative mods is a gray area that the community handles inconsistently. Some Workshop content includes modified versions of SDG's vanilla assets without enforcement action. 57 Studios' conservative position is not a claim that all such reuse is prohibited — it is a risk-management choice based on operating commercial content that has greater exposure than a free Workshop upload. The asymmetry is real: a free Workshop mod that includes a modified vanilla asset is a low-value enforcement target; a commercial product with revenue history is a higher-value target if SDG ever chooses to tighten this guidance.
57 Studios' compliance history and practices
57 Studios has operated in the Unturned modding space since the studio's founding. The following compliance practices are maintained across all 57 Studios mod releases, as a matter of policy.
Asset provenance documentation
Every 57 Studios mod maintains internal provenance records. For each major asset (3D models, textures, audio files), the studio records:
- Who authored the asset (57 Studios team member, named contractor, or identified third-party licensor).
- When the asset was authored or acquired.
- What license governs the asset's use in commercial content (for third-party licensed assets).
- Whether the asset has been independently confirmed as original work.
This documentation is maintained so that any question about asset provenance can be answered definitively rather than by assertion.
SDG correspondence log
57 Studios maintains a log of all correspondence with Nelson Sexton and the SDG team. When a policy question arises that the documentation does not resolve, the studio contacts SDG for clarification before proceeding. The log records the question asked, the date of correspondence, the response received, and any resulting changes to the studio's practices.
Workshop listing standards
All 57 Studios Workshop listings conform to the following standards:
- The listing description does not claim official SDG status.
- The Unturned™ trademark is used with the trademark symbol on first mention.
- The listing includes a note that commercial versions of the content are available through the external storefront.
- The listing accurately describes the mod's content without inflating its features.
- All screenshots are taken from the mod's current version, not from other mods or vanilla game content.
Commercial listing standards
All products sold through the 57 Studios Tebex storefront conform to the following standards:
- The seller is identified as 57 Studios, a third-party community modding studio, not an SDG entity.
- Product descriptions are accurate and complete — no features are claimed that are not delivered.
- Pricing is transparent — the full price is shown before the transaction is completed, with no hidden fees.
- The refund policy is displayed on the storefront and on each product listing page.
- DMCA contact information is current and accessible.
Periodic policy review
SDG's modding guidelines are a living document. 57 Studios reviews the official SDG documentation and relevant community channels at least quarterly to identify policy updates. When a material change is detected, the studio updates its internal compliance practices and updates relevant articles in this knowledge base.
How to navigate SDG policy documents
The official SDG documentation at https://docs.smartlydressedgames.com/en/stable/ is organized as a technical reference. It does not read like a legal document. The policy constraints are embedded in technical pages alongside implementation guidance, which means a modder who reads only the pages relevant to their specific technical task may miss policy context on adjacent pages.
The SDG Discord server maintains pinned messages in modding-related channels that supplement the written documentation. Nelson Sexton and the SDG team respond to modding questions there, and the pins often contain clarifications on points that the documentation does not address directly.
Reporting violations
If a 57 Studios team member or community member encounters a Workshop mod that appears to violate SDG's policies — particularly a mod containing reuploaded third-party game assets or impersonating official SDG content — the appropriate response follows the process below.
57 Studios does not attempt to enforce SDG's policies on behalf of SDG. SDG enforces its own Workshop standards through its own processes. What 57 Studios does enforce is its own original content: if a third party repackages 57 Studios' original mod assets into their own mod without license, 57 Studios will pursue DMCA remedies through the appropriate channels.
Workshop content lifecycle and mod updates
A policy consideration that new commercial modders often overlook is that the modding policy applies not just to initial publication but to every subsequent update. An update that introduces new assets must be reviewed with the same rigor as the initial release.
| Lifecycle event | Policy considerations |
|---|---|
| Initial Workshop publication | Full provenance review; Workshop listing standards; SDG policy check |
| Content update with new assets | Provenance review for new assets; update listing description if features change |
| Content update without new assets (bug fix, configuration change) | Standard update process; no additional policy review required |
| Commercial product launch for existing Workshop mod | Tebex storefront listing review; confirm Workshop listing references the commercial storefront |
| Commercial product price change | Update Tebex listing; update any marketing materials that reference the price |
| Product discontinuation | Notify existing customers; honor outstanding entitlements per refund policy; archive Workshop listing |
Frequently asked questions
Can I resell a 57 Studios mod to other players?
No. 57 Studios' commercial mod licenses are non-transferable. When a player purchases access to a 57 Studios mod through the storefront, that purchase grants personal access for that player's account on the applicable server. Reselling the license, redistributing the mod files, or providing access to unlicensed players constitutes license violation and copyright infringement. 57 Studios monitors for unauthorized redistribution and addresses it through the appropriate legal channels.
Can I modify a 57 Studios mod and redistribute it?
No. 57 Studios' mods are proprietary commercial products. Players are not granted a license to modify and redistribute 57 Studios' mod files. This includes uploading 57 Studios' assets to the Steam Workshop under a different name, distributing them through other servers without license, or including them in your own mod release without explicit written permission from 57 Studios. The assets — the models, textures, animations, and configurations — are 57 Studios' intellectual property and are protected by copyright regardless of whether a formal copyright registration has been filed.
Does SDG take a percentage of Tebex revenue from mod sales?
SDG does not take a revenue share from Tebex sales of community mods as a matter of policy. The commercial permission SDG extends to the community is not structured as a licensing agreement with a royalty obligation. Nelson Sexton has stated this position publicly when asked directly. Individual agreements may vary if a modder has entered into a formal commercial arrangement with SDG, but such arrangements are not the standard for community modders.
If Nelson Sexton posts a policy update on Discord, is it binding?
Policy statements made in community channels by Nelson Sexton carry significant authority — he is the sole owner and developer of SDG, and his public statements reflect SDG's actual policy intentions. However, Discord posts are not formal legal documents and can be edited or deleted. The safest position is to treat community-channel statements as binding guidance while seeking written confirmation (email or forum post) for any significant commercial decision. 57 Studios documents community-channel policy statements in its compliance log with the date and channel as context.
What happens if SDG changes its commercial modding policy in the future?
SDG could in theory restrict or eliminate the commercial modding permission at any time. 57 Studios monitors SDG policy channels for any change in this direction and maintains a relationship with SDG through ongoing correspondence so that any impending policy change would be known before it became effective. If the commercial modding permission were rescinded, 57 Studios would need to wind down commercial mod sales in compliance with any transition period SDG specified and would honor existing customer entitlements to the extent possible.
Can I use Unturned screenshots in my Tebex storefront?
Screenshots taken within Unturned showing the mod content are generally acceptable for commercial mod marketing, consistent with how Steam Workshop screenshots operate. The screenshots depict the modder's own content within the game environment. What would not be acceptable is using SDG's official promotional screenshots or branding materials in a way that implies affiliation, or using screenshots that predominantly show vanilla SDG content rather than the modder's original work.
Is there an official SDK for Unturned modding?
Unturned uses the Unity engine. The modding toolkit is effectively the combination of the Unity Editor (the public game engine), the SDG-published Unity project setup instructions for asset bundles, and the .dat configuration documentation. There is no separate proprietary SDK package distributed by SDG. The documentation at https://docs.smartlydressedgames.com/en/stable/ is the authoritative technical reference and is the closest equivalent to an SDK for Unturned modding.
Does 57 Studios share its correspondence with SDG publicly?
No. Correspondence between 57 Studios and SDG is private. The outcomes of that correspondence — where SDG confirmed a position, clarified a policy, or addressed a specific concern — inform this document's guidance, but the correspondence itself is not published. If a specific scenario requires SDG's confirmation of a policy position, the appropriate path is to contact SDG directly through the community channels where SDG has indicated they receive and respond to such questions.
How does the modding policy interact with the Steam Subscriber Agreement?
The Steam Subscriber Agreement (SSA) governs all Steam accounts and Workshop content. SDG's modding policy layers on top of the SSA, not in place of it. A mod that violates the SSA may be removed by Valve regardless of whether it complies with SDG's own modding guidelines. Both sets of rules apply simultaneously and must both be satisfied. In practice, for content that passes SDG's policy review, it almost always also satisfies the SSA's content standards — the cases where they diverge are at the edges of SDG's policy (commercial structures, community content boundaries) rather than at the core.
Where does the "no paid Workshop mods" rule come from?
This is a Steam-level restriction in Valve's Workshop policies. Valve does not allow Workshop content to be sold directly through the Workshop distribution mechanism without specific Valve approval — a program that was tested in 2015 for Skyrim and discontinued within days due to community backlash. The Tebex model sidesteps this by using server-side entitlement rather than Workshop-gated distribution: the Workshop files remain free, and the purchase grants server-side access rather than file access.
Can I port my Unturned mod to another game?
Porting your original 3D models, textures, code, and other original work to another game is within your rights as the original author. The intellectual property in original authorship belongs to the author. What you cannot port is any SDG-proprietary content (vanilla game assets) or third-party licensed content that is licensed specifically for Unturned use. Your original work is yours; the assets that belong to others stay within the terms under which you have the right to use them.
Is there a formal process for becoming an approved commercial Unturned modder?
No. SDG does not operate a formal approval or certification program for commercial Unturned modders. The commercial modding permission is extended to the community generally, not through individual approval decisions. A modder who follows the guidelines described in this article and operates within SDG's published policy is a commercial modder in good standing — there is no badge, certificate, or formal approval status.
Can I create a mod that modifies core game mechanics, such as damage calculations or movement physics?
Gameplay mechanics are configured through the .dat file parameters and the server plugin API. Modifying damage values, movement parameters, and other game balance parameters through documented configuration is permitted. Modifying the game's behavior through client-side binary modification or memory patching is not within the permitted modding surface. The line is the documented API: anything achievable through the documented API is permitted; anything requiring undocumented binary manipulation is not.
How long does SDG take to respond to direct policy correspondence?
Response times vary based on Nelson Sexton's workload and the complexity of the question. 57 Studios' experience is that straightforward policy questions receive responses within two to four weeks. Complex questions involving specific commercial arrangements may take longer or may not receive detailed responses if SDG prefers not to issue guidance outside its published documentation. Submitting a well-formed, specific question with clear context produces better outcomes than a vague inquiry.
Scope of this document and what it does not cover
This document covers SDG's modding policy as it applies to Unturned mod creation and commercial distribution. The following topics are adjacent to but outside the scope of this document:
- Trademark law governing the use of the Unturned™ name in mod branding and marketing — see Trademark and Brand in Mods.
- The technical mechanics of Tebex commercial storefront setup — see Tebex and Commercial Monetization.
- The Steam Workshop submission process — see Steam Workshop Submission.
- Derivative works and reskins specifically — see Derivative Works and Reskins.
- Tax law and accounting for mod revenue — covered partially in Tebex and Commercial Monetization; for comprehensive guidance, consult a qualified tax professional.
This document intentionally does not provide legal opinions. It provides 57 Studios' working interpretation of SDG's published and communicated guidelines, informed by the studio's direct experience operating within the Unturned modding ecosystem. For matters with significant legal or financial consequences, professional legal counsel should be engaged.
Appendix A: SDG external links reference
| Resource | URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Unturned Steam page | https://store.steampowered.com/app/304930/Unturned/ | Game overview; Workshop integration link; Workshop content rules via Steam's ToS |
| SDG Modding Documentation | https://docs.smartlydressedgames.com/en/stable/ | Authoritative technical and policy reference for all Unturned modding activities |
Note: 57 Studios does not maintain or verify the continued availability of external URLs. If an external link is broken, search for the resource by name using the site's own search function or through a web search. External content is subject to change by its owners without notice to 57 Studios.
The SDG documentation is the single most important external resource for Unturned modders. Bookmark it. Read it before any commercial mod development begins. Check it quarterly for updates. The documentation represents Nelson Sexton's documented guidance on how the community is expected to engage with the game's modding ecosystem.
Appendix B: 57 Studios' modding compliance checklist
Use this checklist before publishing any new 57 Studios mod commercially. All items must be confirmed before the Tebex listing is made active.
| Check | Verification method | Required |
|---|---|---|
| All assets are original authorship or confirmed licensed for commercial derivative use | Provenance documentation review | Yes |
| No third-party game assets included in the bundle | Build artifact review | Yes |
| Workshop listing does not claim official SDG status | Copy review by second team member | Yes |
| Tebex listing identifies 57 Studios as third-party author | Storefront copy review | Yes |
| Unturned™ trademark used with symbol on first mention in all copy | Marketing copy review | Yes |
| Monetization is flat-rate with no randomized reward mechanics | Product design review | Yes |
| DMCA contact information is current on the storefront | Storefront settings check | Yes |
| SDG policy documentation reviewed for updates in past 90 days | Compliance log review | Yes |
| Correspondence log updated if any new SDG correspondence occurred during development | Log review | Yes |
| Server-side delivery commands tested on staging server | QA sign-off | Yes |
| Refund policy displayed on product listing page | Listing review | Yes |
Interpreting ambiguous policy scenarios
Not every modding scenario maps cleanly onto SDG's published guidance. The following section walks through ambiguous scenarios that 57 Studios has encountered and the interpretive framework the studio applied in each case. These are not formal legal determinations — they are documented judgment calls under uncertainty.
Scenario: a weapon model that closely resembles a real-world firearm
Real-world firearm designs are generally not protected by copyright in their functional elements (the shape of a trigger, the layout of a receiver designed to hold a specific magazine) but may be protected in distinctive ornamental elements. The typical safe harbor for weapon modding is to author weapons that are inspired by real-world firearms but are not direct reproductions of a specific manufacturer's proprietary design elements.
57 Studios' practice: weapon models are designed with real-world firearms as reference for proportions and mechanical layout, not as one-to-one reproductions. Where a weapon is intended to evoke a specific real-world model (e.g., an AK-pattern rifle), the design includes sufficient original artistic choices in the receiver shape, sight design, and overall silhouette to distinguish it from the reference without abandoning the recognizable archetype.
Scenario: a mod that includes audio recorded by the modder using real firearms
Audio recorded by the modder using real firearms is the modder's original work. Unlike audio extracted from another game, personally recorded firearm audio carries no third-party copyright concern. The recordings are original works at the moment of recording, and the modder owns the copyright in those recordings. 57 Studios treats personally recorded audio with the same provenance documentation as any other original asset.
Scenario: a mod that includes ambient audio from a royalty-free library
Royalty-free audio libraries offer audio under licenses that vary considerably. "Royalty-free" does not mean "free to use for any purpose" — it means the buyer does not owe ongoing royalties after a one-time payment (or no payment, for free libraries). The specific license must be reviewed before use.
The key questions for a royalty-free audio asset:
- Does the license permit use in commercial derivative works?
- Does the license permit distribution within a game mod (not just standalone use)?
- Does the license require attribution, and if so, where must the attribution appear?
- Does the license prohibit resale — and does distributing the asset bundled within a paid mod constitute "resale"?
57 Studios reviews the specific license for every royalty-free audio asset before inclusion in a commercial mod. Assets licensed under Creative Commons licenses with non-commercial restrictions (CC-BY-NC, CC-BY-NC-SA) are not used in commercial mods. Assets under CC-BY or CC0 are used with attribution as required.
Scenario: a map mod that uses real geographic place names
Using real geographic place names in a fictional map (e.g., a map set in a fictional version of Seattle, or a map that names a fictional location "Everett Bay") is generally permissible. Geographic place names are not trademarkable as indicators of commercial origin in most contexts, and fictional map settings that reference real geography are a common creative device across gaming.
Where this becomes a consideration is in explicitly reproducing the branded elements of a real-world location — a fictional version of a named theme park, a fictional version of a specific branded business. Those branded elements may be protected under trademark law even if the underlying geographic location is not. 57 Studios' maps use fictional place names and fictional settings unless the real-world reference is purely geographic (a region, a city name used descriptively).
Scenario: a mod originally created as free Workshop content being converted to a commercial product
Converting a previously free Workshop mod to a commercial product is technically permissible under SDG's framework — there is no rule that a mod, once released free, must remain free. However, this scenario requires careful handling with the existing user base:
- Players who downloaded and use the mod as a free Workshop item retain the Workshop content (the files remain on the Workshop).
- Commercial access is gated at the server level; the free Workshop content remains accessible; only the server-side entitlement requires purchase.
- Communication with the existing player base about the change is important for community relations, even if not legally required.
57 Studios has not yet converted a previously-free mod to commercial status. If this scenario arises, the studio's plan is to provide at minimum 30 days' advance notice to the community before the server-side entitlement requirement takes effect, and to document the transition rationale in the Workshop listing.
Extended policy reference: the Workshop Terms of Service
The Steam Workshop Terms of Service govern all content uploaded to and distributed through the Steam Workshop. They apply to Unturned mods alongside SDG's own modding guidelines. A modder who understands only SDG's guidelines and not the Workshop ToS is operating with an incomplete picture.
Key Workshop ToS provisions relevant to Unturned modders:
| Provision | Implication |
|---|---|
| Content must not infringe third-party intellectual property | The third-party asset reupload prohibition has legal backing at the platform level, not just in SDG's guidelines |
| Content may not include malware, exploits, or cheating tools | A Workshop mod that includes code designed to exploit Unturned's server-side state in unauthorized ways violates the ToS |
| Content may not harass, threaten, or target individuals | RP mods must not be designed to enable harassment of specific real-world individuals |
| Valve reserves the right to remove content at its discretion | Workshop removal can happen without a DMCA process if Valve determines the content violates its terms |
| Uploading content grants Valve a license to distribute it | This is a standard platform license grant; it does not transfer ownership of the modder's content to Valve |
| Paid distribution through Workshop requires Valve approval | The restriction on Workshop-gated paid mods has explicit platform-level backing |
The Workshop ToS is a Valve document, not an SDG document. SDG has no authority to override it, and complying with SDG's modding guidelines does not confer compliance with the Workshop ToS. Both documents must be satisfied simultaneously.
DMCA process reference for Unturned modders
Understanding the DMCA process is relevant for Unturned modders both as potential claimants (if someone infringes your original mod content) and as potential respondents (if a DMCA notice is filed against your Workshop content).
Filing a DMCA notice against an infringing Workshop mod
If a third party uploads your original mod content to the Steam Workshop without authorization, you may file a DMCA takedown notice with Valve. Valve processes DMCA notices through the standard US DMCA framework. The process requires:
- Identifying the specific Workshop item that contains the infringing content.
- Identifying specifically which elements of the content are your original work (describing the work and when it was created).
- Filing the takedown through Valve's DMCA procedure (documented on Steam's website).
- Providing contact information and a good-faith statement of the infringement claim.
Valve processes DMCA notices and will remove the infringing content if the notice is valid. The mod author receives a notification and may file a counter-notice. If a valid counter-notice is filed, the content is typically restored after a waiting period unless you file a lawsuit.
Responding to a DMCA notice against your Workshop content
If a DMCA notice is filed against your Workshop content:
- Review the notice to understand what content is claimed to be infringing.
- If the claim is valid — you used content you did not have the right to use — remove the infringing content and update the mod.
- If the claim is invalid — the content is your original work or is properly licensed — consult an attorney before filing a counter-notice. Filing an inaccurate counter-notice carries legal risk.
- Do not upload the same infringing content again after it has been removed in response to a valid DMCA notice.
57 Studios has not been the subject of a DMCA notice on any Workshop content. The studio's provenance documentation process is designed to make responding to any such notice straightforward — because the provenance of every asset is documented, any claim that a 57 Studios asset is infringing can be evaluated against the documentation record.
Additional compliance notes for RP server operators
57 Studios' involvement with Horizon Life RP creates a specific compliance context for RP server operations. RP servers that use 57 Studios' mods and commercial products have their own obligations that are distinct from 57 Studios' obligations as the mod developer.
| Obligation | Who bears it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Verifying that player entitlements are honored correctly | Server operator (Asineth / Horizon Life RP) | The server-side permission system is the operator's responsibility |
| Not granting entitlements to players who have not purchased them | Server operator | Unauthorized entitlement grants undermine the commercial model and violate 57 Studios' license terms |
| Not modifying 57 Studios' mod files in ways that violate the license | Server operator | RP servers run the mods as distributed; modification is not permitted without explicit license |
| Complying with SDG's server operation guidelines | Server operator | SDG's documentation covers dedicated server operation; server operators are independently bound by those guidelines |
| Maintaining a functional Tebex plugin integration | Server operator (with 57 Studios' assistance) | Plugin failures must be addressed promptly; they result in delivery failures for paying customers |
57 Studios maintains an ongoing operational relationship with Horizon Life RP to ensure that the server-side integration remains functional and that commercial products deliver as expected. Issues identified by either party are addressed through the established communication channels between 57 Studios and the server operator.
Policy evolution: tracking SDG guidance over time
SDG's modding policy is not a static document that has been unchanged since Unturned's release. It has evolved alongside the game, the community, and the commercial modding ecosystem. Understanding the trajectory helps modders anticipate where guidance is likely to be more permissive versus more restrictive.
Historical pattern: increasing formalization
In Unturned's early years (pre-2018), the modding policy existed primarily as informal community norms and Nelson Sexton's ad hoc responses in forums. As the modding community grew and commercial modding became more prevalent, SDG moved toward more formal documentation. The modding documentation at https://docs.smartlydressedgames.com/en/stable/ represents the current formalization of what was previously scattered guidance.
This trajectory — from informal community norms to documented policy — suggests that further formalization is likely over time. Modders who operate on the assumption that the current informal commercial permission will remain informal indefinitely may find themselves without a documented policy basis for their commercial activities if SDG formalizes the commercial modding framework with more restrictive terms.
Historical pattern: asset reuse enforcement becoming stricter
The enforcement of the third-party asset reupload prohibition has become stricter over time as the community has grown and as other game publishers have become more active in pursuing DMCA claims against games that host their assets without authorization. Workshop content that might have remained on the Workshop in the early community years is now removed more promptly.
This tightening enforcement reflects both SDG's own risk management (SDG as platform operator has secondary liability exposure) and external pressure from game publishers whose assets appear on the Workshop. Modders who used third-party assets under the assumption that they would not be noticed are increasingly finding that assumption wrong.
Historical pattern: commercial modding tolerated and implicitly encouraged
The commercial modding ecosystem has expanded with SDG's implicit support over time. New commercial modding infrastructure (Tebex's Unturned-specific integrations, community documentation for commercial mod setup) has developed with SDG's awareness and without enforcement action. This trajectory suggests that the commercial modding permission is stable for the near term.
What to monitor for future policy changes
| Signal | What it might indicate |
|---|---|
| SDG publishes a formal commercial modding license agreement | The informal permission is being formalized; review whether new terms are more or less restrictive |
| SDG begins requiring revenue sharing for commercial mods | The economics of the commercial modding framework are changing |
| SDG announces a first-party commercial mod marketplace | Competition for Tebex-style commercial distribution; may shift terms for third-party storefronts |
| SDG issues DMCA notices against commercial mods for asset concerns | Enforcement posture is shifting; conduct an immediate asset audit |
| Valve changes Workshop terms affecting game modification distribution | Platform-level changes may affect the Workshop-free / Tebex-paid architecture |
57 Studios monitors SDG's community channels and the SDG documentation for changes in any of these areas. When a monitoring signal is detected, the studio conducts an internal review of its commercial operations before the next release.
Understanding Unturned's GUID system in the context of asset ownership
Unturned's modding system assigns each item, vehicle, and asset a GUID — a 128-bit globally unique identifier. The GUID system has implications for intellectual property in the modding ecosystem that are not immediately obvious.
When 57 Studios generates a GUID for a new item and registers that item on the Workshop, the GUID becomes the identifier for that item in the community's shared modding database. Other modders reference GUIDs when creating content that interacts with 57 Studios' items. The GUID is a technical identifier that becomes embedded in the community's content ecosystem.
The intellectual property in the item itself — the 3D model, textures, animations, configuration logic — belongs to 57 Studios as the original author. The GUID is a public identifier, not a claim of ownership by SDG or by any registry. A modder cannot "own" a GUID in a legal sense, but a modder who registers a GUID first effectively claims it for the community namespace, because other content that references that GUID will load the first-registered item.
Why this matters for commercial mods
If a competitor registers a GUID that was previously associated with a 57 Studios mod — either by accident or intentionally — items that reference that GUID in the community's content ecosystem will load the competitor's version. This is not copyright infringement by itself (the GUID is not copyrightable), but it is a practical problem for players who have content referencing the 57 Studios GUID. For this reason, 57 Studios documents its GUIDs in internal records and monitors for GUID conflicts in community modding databases.
Appendix C: Key definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| SDG | Smartly Dressed Games — the independent studio that develops and publishes Unturned |
| Nelson Sexton | Founder and primary developer of SDG and Unturned |
| Workshop | Steam Workshop — the platform through which mod files are distributed to players |
| Tebex | The commercial storefront platform used for server-side entitlement sales |
| Entitlement | A player's purchased permission to access commercial mod content on a server |
| Asset provenance | The documented record of who created a mod asset and under what license |
| DMCA | Digital Millennium Copyright Act — the US law governing digital copyright takedown procedures |
| Nominative use | Using a trademark to identify the trademarked product itself, rather than to brand the user's own products |
| Economic nexus | A sales tax concept: the threshold of sales activity in a state that triggers a registration and remittance obligation |
| GUID | Globally Unique Identifier — the 128-bit identifier used by Unturned to identify each mod asset |
| MoR | Merchant of Record — a platform configuration in which the platform assumes tax collection and remittance obligations |
| Counter-notice | A formal response to a DMCA takedown notice, asserting that the removed content does not infringe the claimant's rights |
| W-9 | IRS form used by US sellers to provide their TIN to a payment platform for 1099 reporting |
| W-8BEN | IRS form used by non-US sellers to certify foreign status and claim applicable treaty benefits |
Risk matrix: commercial mod activities
57 Studios uses the following internal risk matrix to evaluate proposed commercial mod activities before development begins. Activities in the high-risk tier require explicit sign-off from the studio's principal before development proceeds.
| Activity | Copyright risk | Platform risk | SDG relationship risk | Overall risk tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original weapon mod, commercially sold via Tebex | Low | Low | Low | Low — standard operation |
| Original vehicle mod, commercially sold via Tebex | Low | Low | Low | Low — standard operation |
| Custom map for RP server, server-role entitlement | Low | Low | Low | Low — standard operation |
| Retexture of a 57 Studios original for commercial sale | Low | Low | Low | Low — derivative of own work |
| Retexture of SDG vanilla asset for commercial sale | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium — gray area; contact SDG |
| Royalty-free audio from confirmed commercial-use library | Low | Low | Low | Low — license confirmed |
| Royalty-free audio from unconfirmed library | Medium | Low | Low | Medium — license must be confirmed before release |
| Third-party game model repackaged as Unturned mod | Critical | Critical | High | Critical — do not proceed |
| Extracted audio from another game | Critical | Critical | High | Critical — do not proceed |
| Workshop listing with paid-access requirement | Low | Critical | High | Critical — violates platform ToS |
| Commercial listing claiming SDG endorsement | Low | Low | Critical | Critical — misrepresentation |
Activities rated Critical are not pursued by 57 Studios under any circumstances. Activities rated Medium require documented evidence that the risk factor has been resolved (confirmed license, confirmed SDG guidance) before proceeding.
Policy changes can move faster than documentation
SDG's community channels (Discord, forums) often reflect updated guidance before the official documentation is revised. Monitor both the documentation and the community channels to catch policy shifts promptly.
Best practices for new Unturned modders entering commercial distribution
This section is addressed to modders who are entering commercial Unturned modding for the first time and want to understand how to set up correctly. 57 Studios shares this guidance because a community of compliant commercial modders is better for the overall ecosystem than a community where compliance norms are unclear.
Start with original assets. The safest and most sustainable foundation for a commercial modding business is original authorship. Third-party assets create legal exposure that compounds over time; original assets build a portfolio that is entirely yours.
Document everything from the beginning. Provenance documentation is easiest to create at the time of asset creation and increasingly difficult to reconstruct after the fact. Start maintaining provenance records for your first mod, and the practice will be in place for everything that follows.
Understand the two-channel model before your first sale. The Workshop-free / Tebex-paid architecture is fundamental. A modder who does not understand this architecture may inadvertently set up a commercial structure that violates Steam's rules.
Contact SDG with specific questions before proceeding. SDG has been responsive to good-faith policy questions from the community. A question framed as "I am planning to do X; is this within your modding guidelines?" is more likely to receive a useful response than a vague inquiry about what is generally permitted.
Build community trust as a foundation for commercial activity. Commercial modding in Unturned depends on the community's willingness to purchase. Community trust is built through consistent delivery quality, responsive support, accurate product descriptions, and honest communication. A strong community reputation is as important as a legally compliant setup.
Document history
| Version | Date | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2025-05-18 | 57 Studios | Initial publication. Covers SDG permissions, prohibitions, commercial constraints, Nelson Sexton's documented positions, Workshop content categories, source-asset reuse, 57 Studios' compliance practices, ambiguous policy scenarios, DMCA process reference, risk matrix, and policy evolution tracking. |
Closing note
SDG's modding framework is one of the more permissive commercial modding ecosystems in the independent gaming space. Nelson Sexton's personal commitment to community modding as a core part of Unturned's identity has produced a durable environment where studios like 57 Studios can build commercial businesses on top of original creative work. That permissiveness is not guaranteed — it rests on the goodwill of a single developer and the continued alignment between the community's commercial practices and what SDG considers acceptable.
57 Studios' approach is to earn that continued alignment actively: by operating with documented compliance practices, by communicating with SDG directly when policy questions arise, by producing original content that reflects well on the modding community, and by operating commercially in ways that respect the players who make commercial modding sustainable. The policies documented in this article are not constraints the studio complies with reluctantly — they are the framework within which 57 Studios has chosen to build.
For questions about the content of this article, contact the 57 Studios legal function through the support channels listed on the studio's commercial storefront. For questions about the SDG modding policy itself, the appropriate contact is SDG through the channels described in this document.
The 57 Studios Wiki legal section is maintained as a living reference. Check the document history at the end of each article for the most recent review date, and compare that date against any recent changes in SDG's published guidance or community channels.
Cross-references
- Derivative Works and Reskins — previous article; covers derivative content considerations in more detail.
- Tebex and Commercial Monetization — next article; covers the commercial storefront framework in full.
- Trademark and Brand in Mods — covers trademark usage in mod naming and marketing materials.
- Steam Workshop Submission — the Workshop publishing workflow, with SDG compliance checkpoints.
- SDG Modding Documentation — the authoritative external reference for all technical and policy guidance.
- Unturned on Steam — the game's Steam page and Workshop entry point.