Wizards of the Coast DMCA Hits Fan's Baldur's Gate 3 Mod, Larian CEO Reacts

Wizards of the Coast has recently taken action against a fan-created mod for Stardew Valley, titled "Baldur's Village," which integrates characters from Baldur's Gate 3 into the game. This mod, released earlier this month, was initially met with praise from Larian Studios CEO Sven Vincke, who lauded the effort and creativity behind it on Twitter, stating, "So much love went into this - amazing work!"

However, the celebration was short-lived as Wizards of the Coast, the holder of the Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur's Gate intellectual properties, issued a DMCA takedown notice against the mod. A spokesperson from Nexus Mods expressed hope that this was merely an oversight by Wizards of the Coast, who often employ external agencies to monitor and address IP violations. They added, "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 continued support for the mod while recognizing the complexities of IP protection. He stated, "Protecting your IP can be tricky but I do hope this gets settled. There are good ways of dealing with this." He further emphasized the value of fan mods, saying, "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."

This incident might be indicative of a broader strategy by Wizards of the Coast to protect the Baldur's Gate IP. During the recent Game Developers Conference, it was hinted that more announcements regarding the IP's future are forthcoming. It remains unclear whether the Stardew Valley mod conflicted with these plans or if the takedown was an error that will be corrected soon. Wizards of the Coast has been contacted for further comment on the matter.