Sega recently released the Genesis and Mega Drive Classics Hub on Steam. Alongside the new Hub, Sega added Steam Workshop support, allowing modders to upload and share ROM hacks of Genesis and Mega Drive games.
Some of the contributions to the Sega Genesis Steam Workshop are character and sprite swaps for games like Sonic the Hedgehog. Others, like Sonic 3 Complete, offer a number of tweaks and bug fixes.
Though Sega says that they are not releasing official modding tools, Steam Workshop support will give creators and fans a new way to experience these games.
“Lastly, regarding Steam Workshop support; we are not releasing any modding tools with this update,” community manager Daniel Sheridan stated on Sega’s blog. “Steam Workshop functionality is a platform to share the wealth of custom Mega Drive & Genesis ROMs out there and support the highly talented and engaged community of modders behind them. Now content creators can easily share their custom ROMs with other Mega Drive & Genesis fans giving a new perspective on so many beloved retro titles.”
While some of the mods are uploaded by their original authors, other appear to have been uploaded by a third party. One user has even uploaded a non-Sega published title: Konami’s Contra: Hard Corps. Steam community members are also trying to self-police the Workshop, requesting unauthorized uploaders to allow original creators to bring their mods to Steam.