Wizards of the Coast has issued a DMCA takedown notice targeting a fan-made mod for Stardew Valley titled "Baldur's Village," which integrated characters from Baldur's Gate 3 into the game. The mod, released earlier this month, had received public praise from Larian Studios CEO Sven Vincke, who lauded the effort on Twitter, saying, "So much love went into this - amazing work!"
However, the mod was removed following the takedown notice from Wizards of the Coast, the company that holds the rights to both Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur's Gate. A spokesperson from Nexus Mods expressed hope that this might be an oversight on the part of Wizards of the Coast, who often employ external agencies to monitor IP violations. They stated, "Hopefully, this is an oversight from WotC, who often use external agencies to hunt down violating content, and they will revert their decision. Fingers crossed for Baldur's Village."
In response to the takedown, Sven Vincke took to Twitter again to voice his support for the mod while acknowledging the complexities of IP protection. He tweeted, "Protecting your IP can be tricky but I do hope this gets settled. There are good ways of dealing with this." Vincke further emphasized the value of fan mods, stating, "Free quality fan mods highlighting your characters in other game genres are proof your work resonates and a unique form of word of mouth. Imho they shouldn't be treated like commercial ventures that infringe on your property."
The takedown might be indicative of a broader strategy by Wizards of the Coast to protect the Baldur's Gate IP, especially in light of recent announcements at the Game Developers Conference hinting at upcoming plans for the franchise. It remains to be seen whether this action against the Stardew Valley mod was a deliberate move or an error that could be corrected. Wizards of the Coast has been contacted for further comment on the situation.
