Summary
Wizards of the Coast has reportedly submitted a DMCA to the creators of aBaldur’s Gate 3-themed mod forStardew Valley, with the mod forced to be taken down. The beloved farming simulator developed by ConcernedApe has been a fan-favorite since its initial release in 2016, with many hailing it as one of thebest entries in the “farming sim” genre. The game has seen frequent updates throughout its history with major new content pushed to the sim, alongside a wealth of fan support through mods. Now, one popular mod has been forcibly removed.
With many mods based on other pop culture franchises,Stardew Valley’s “Baldur’s Village” had become a popular choice for many fans of the Larian Studios-developed RPG. The mod introduced more than 20 new NPC characters toStardew Valley, including main party members fromBaldur’s Gate 3like Astarion and Shadowheart. The expansive mod even added several new locations, items, and events centered around theBaldur’s Gate 3-themed content. However, Wizards of the Coast has now reportedly nixed the mod with a swift DMCA.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod for Stardew Valley Forcibly Taken Down
As reported by IGN, Wizards of the Coast has forcibly taken downStardew Valley’s Baldur’s Village mod against the will of the mods' creators. Wizards' involvement was confirmed by a spokesperson for popular mod aggregator Nexus Mods, who revealed that theDungeons and Dragonsstudio had submitted a DMCA takedown. The removal of the mod even caught the attention ofLarian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, expressing his disappointment and hope that the situation will be resolved and the mod re-listed. Wizards of the Coast did not make an official statement about its actions against the Baldur’s Village mod.
The removal of theBaldur’s Gate 3mod forStardew Valleycomes as the future is currently unclear for the RPG franchise. Hasbro spoke about theBaldur’s Gateseries at GDC earlier this month, revealing that more information aboutwhat’s next forBaldur’s Gatewill be coming soon. A potentialBaldur’s Gate 4or a sequel toBaldur’s Gate 3will, however, feature a change of hands from the mega-popular third entry, with Larian Studios parting ways with Wizards of the Coast followingBaldur’s Gate 3’s Patch 8.
Fans ofStardew Valleycan only hope that theBaldur’s Gate 3mod issue will be resolved sooner rather than later. The previously-mentioned spokesperson for Nexus Mods had expressed that Wizards of the Coast often uses “external agencies” to deal with content that violates its copyrights, hoping it was simply an oversight. Swen Vincke also shared his praise for the fan mod, presenting it as an expression ofBaldur’s Gate 3"resonating with fans"in a unique way. For fans of Baldur’s Village, hopefully, it won’t be long before players can once again interact withBaldur’s Gate 3’s beloved cast in theirStardew Valleyplaythroughs.
