Wizards of the Coast recently issued a DMCA takedown notice for “Baldur’s Village,” a fan-made mod that brought Baldur’s Gate 3 characters into Stardew Valley. But don’t worry – they quickly admitted it was all a mistake and restored the mod.
The mod dropped about a month ago and introduced over 20 BG3 characters, including favorites like Astarion, Shadowheart, and Karlach, into the cozy farming world of Stardew Valley. But it didn’t stop there—players got six new locations, new shops with unique items, dynamic events, and even a brand-new village north of Pelican Town. Oh, and if you’re an Astarion fan? You could romance him and even marry him, complete with special events and custom dialogue.
The takedown was extra surprising since Larian Studios’ CEO, Swen Vincke, had actually praised the mod on Twitter, calling it “amazing work” filled with love and dedication.
According to PC Gamer, a spokesperson from Nexus Mods (where the mod was hosted) explained that Wizards of the Coast, which owns the Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur’s Gate IPs, had issued the DMCA takedown. The spokesperson expressed hope that this was simply “an oversight from WotC, who often use external agencies to hunt down violating content.”
After the news spread, Vincke weighed in again, supporting the modders while acknowledging IP protection can be tricky.
“Free quality fan mods highlighting your characters in other game genres are proof your work resonates,” Vincke said. “They shouldn’t be treated like commercial ventures that infringe on your property.”
Wizards of the Coast eventually admitted their mistake, stating, “The Baldur’s Village DMCA takedown was issued mistakenly – we are sorry about that. We are in the process of fixing that now so fans and the Stardew community can continue to enjoy this great mod!”
Stardew Valley, developed by ConcernedApe, has been a fan-favorite farming simulator since its release in 2016. The game has maintained popularity through regular updates and a thriving modding community that creates additional content. As of January 2025, the game has sold over 41 million copies across all platforms globally.
As for Baldur’s Gate, the future direction of the series remains uncertain. Larian Studios, which developed the highly successful Baldur’s Gate 3, has announced they are parting ways with Wizards of the Coast following the game’s final major update. However, Hasbro (parent company of Wizards of the Coast) mentioned at the recent GDC that news about the future of the Baldur’s Gate franchise would be coming “in pretty short order.”
So, good news for modders and Stardew fans—your beloved BG3 crossover is now online. And for Baldur’s Gate fans? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see what’s next
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