diff --git a/sphinx/builders/__init__.py b/sphinx/builders/__init__.py
index 5a1bc801c..043137237 100644
--- a/sphinx/builders/__init__.py
+++ b/sphinx/builders/__init__.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class Builder(object):
 
     def init(self):
         """Load necessary templates and perform initialization."""
-        raise NotImplementedError
+        pass
 
     def init_templates(self):
         # Call this from init() if you need templates.