Popular Stardew Valley mod Baldur’s Valley, which replaced characters in the game with heroes from Baldur’s Gate 3, will be restored to Nexus Mods, following a public DMCA scuffle. The mod was released early in March, and quickly gained attention for its quality. While there’s plenty of character replacer mods for Stardew Valley, the spritework in Baldur’s Valley proved particularly eye-catching, with plenty of cool details contributing to an accurate representation of BG3.
With plenty of folks hankering after new opportunities to get to know the cast of Baldur’s Gate 3, in any form, the mod’s profile swiftly grew. It even caught the attention of Baldur’s Gate 3 developer and CEO of Larian Studios, Swen Vincke.
“So much love went into this – amazing work!” Vincke posted, giving his approval. Unfortunately, it appears Vincke’s post may have been the tipping point for Baldur’s Gate 3 rights owner Wizards of the Coast, which swiftly handed down a DMCA to nuke Baldur’s Valley from Nexus Mods.
As reported by PC Gamer, a Nexus Mods spokesperson confirm a DMCA had forced a takedown of the mod, leaving only a web page with a notice that it was ‘under moderation review.’ That web page remains live, as of writing, although it’s worth noting Wizards of the Coast has now officially confirmed the DMCA will be removed, and Baldur’s Valley will be allowed back on Nexus Mods shortly.
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Baldur’s Valley will return to Nexus Mods
It appears this decision was only made following outcry over the mod’s initial removal. Not only did many many players and critics express disappointment about the move, Vincke himself also stepped in to suggest a better solution could be found.
“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,” Vincke said. “Protecting your IP can be tricky but I do hope this gets settled. There are good ways of dealing with this.”
As Vincke noted, he believed the mod was made in good faith, and demonstrated the love and care that players have for Baldur’s Gate 3. For those more commercially minded, he also noted it served as a form of word-of-mouth marketing that money can’t really buy.
At this stage, it’s unclear if Vincke’s comments had a direct impact on Wizards of the Coast’s decision to restore the Baldur’s Village mod, but it is clear the wider discussions around the mod and its intention inspired attention on the matter.
In a statement sent to PC Gamer, Wizards of the Coast has now claimed the mod was taken down “mistakenly” and has apologised for this action. “We are in the process of fixing that now so fans and the Stardew community can continue to enjoy this great mod!” a spokesperson said.
All’s well that ends well, and it appears that going forward, keen players will be able to enjoy their time with Astarion, Shadowheart, Karlach, and co. freely. If you’re keen to check out the mod yourself, stay tuned for an update on Nexus Mods.
