WotC WotC (Mistakenly) Issues DMCA Takedown Against Baldur's Gate-themed Stardew Valley Mod

Wizards of the Coast recently issued a DMCA takedown notice against Baldur's Village, a popular fan-created Stardew Valley mod which was based on Baldur's Gate 3.

Created by a modding team called Nexus Mods, the mod featured BG3 characters such as Astarion and Shadowheart, 20+ NPCs, and various locations and events. The mod, which has had over 4,000 downloads, took over a year to make, according to the team, and garnered praise from Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larion, the company which made Baldur's Gate 3, who also posted about the situation on Twitter:

“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. Protecting your IP can be tricky, but I do hope this gets settled. There are good ways of dealing with this.”

The mod went into "moderation review" on March 29th. However, it seems this was a 'mistake'--WotC has since issued a statement:

"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!"

So, the mod is back again! To use it you need the have the Stardew Modding API, the Content Patcher, and the Portraiture mod.

This isn't the first time WotC has 'erroneously' issued takedown notices against fans. In August 2024, the company took action against various YouTubers who were previewing the then-upcoming 2024 D&D Player's Handbook. A few days later, after some public outcry, WotC reversed its decision.

 

[Sulicius]

It looks like a mod using the beloved Baldur's Gate 3 character's is no longer available on the Nexus Mods website. Read PC Gamer's article for more information.

It doesn't appear to have much more information than this. I didn't know you could strike a DMCA against a mod!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It doesn't appear to have much more information than this. I didn't know you could strike a DMCA against a mod!

Digital content is digital content, so DMCA applies.

Didn't we hear that a D&D cozy farm sim was coming a while back? Maybe BG3 fans will get the chance to have Karlach as a neighbor in a farming community there.

 

[Chaltab]

It looks like a mod using the beloved Baldur's Gate 3 character's is no longer available on the Nexus Mods website. Read PC Gamer's article for more information.

It doesn't appear to have much more information than this. I didn't know you could strike a DMCA against a mod!

Yeah you can. Take Two and Nintendo do it all the time. Entire GTA remaster projects have been shut down because Take Two wanted to sell their crappy AI-upscaled remaster.

 

[Scribe]

 

[bedir than]

Digital content is digital content, so DMCA applies.

Didn't we hear that a D&D cozy farm sim was coming a while back? Maybe BG3 fans will get the chance to have Karlach as a neighbor in a farming community there.

Announced last March (PC Mag coverage). Gameloft is the studio

Gameloft Official: We create gaming experiences

Gameloft welcomes you to amazing gaming experiences, with hits like Asphalt Legends Unite and Disney Dreamlight Valley. Discover our 25-year legacy in PC, console and mobile gaming!

www.gameloft.com

 

[Dausuul]

Before anyone says it: WotC is NOT required to do this to keep the IP. "Defend it or lose it" is for trademarks, not copyrights.

 

[Chaltab]

Before anyone says it: WotC is NOT required to do this to keep the IP. "Defend it or lose it" is for trademarks, not copyrights.

Could you imagine if 'defend it or lose it' was a real thing in this era of streaming D&D games.

"Welp, we didn't act ten years ago so I guess Matt Mercer owns mind flayers and Vecna now."

 

[Reynard]

Could you imagine if 'defend it or lose it' was a real thing in this era of streaming D&D games.

"Welp, we didn't act ten years ago so I guess Matt Mercer owns mind flayers and Vecna now."

See, streaming HELPS D&D so it's okay...

Honestly, I have often wondered about the legality (from a derivative works perspective) of streaming games. I guess since you can't copyright rules, and streaming games are usually in new, bespoke settings created by the group/GM, it is not a big deal. but could WotC order the takedown of a stream of, say, Curse of Strahd?

 

[Dire Bare]

See, streaming HELPS D&D so it's okay...

Honestly, I have often wondered about the legality (from a derivative works perspective) of streaming games. I guess since you can't copyright rules, and streaming games are usually in new, bespoke settings created by the group/GM, it is not a big deal. but could WotC order the takedown of a stream of, say, Curse of Strahd?

IANAL . . . if you are running an actual play using the D&D rules, but with your own adventure and setting, then I do not think WotC would be able to legally come after you. Game rules can't be copyrighted and the OGL/CC also covers this sort of thing.

But if you are using an adventure or setting owned by WotC, perhaps the Forgotten Realms or Curse of Strahd, then yes, WotC could come after you. Or if you were using the Midgard setting, Kobold Press could come after you. But they are very unlikely to do so, because, 1) as you mention, streaming helps, and 2) they don't want to look like the big old mean corporation punching down at the fans, if they can help it. Before WotC is going to send a DMCA take-down your way, they are going to ask, is @Reynard's stream potentially affecting us financially and what are the optics of us going after them?

I'm actually kind of surprised they are going after a Stardew mod . . . but maybe they feel it would prevent them from possibly doing an officially licensed mod at some point.