The head of the studio known for Baldur’s Gate 3 says that companies sometimes go a bit overboard when they call mods infringers.
The Egls come from Baldur’s Village. It’s a Stardew Valley mod that adds more than 20 characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 and has the approval of Larian CEO Swen Vincke. However, the owners of the IP, Wizards of the Coast, seem to have decided that the best way to capitalize on the momentum of the Baldur’s Gate brand is to scrub the mod from the Internet.
In a statement to PCGamer, Wizards of the Coast now says that the removal of Baldur’s Village was a mistake. The DMCA request was made by the company in error, and they are currently working to correct this so that fans and the Stardew Valley community can continue to enjoy this great mod. Larian CEO Swen Vincke, who just a few hours earlier expressed his opinion on the otherwise great crossover mod, certainly has a role to play in this retreat:
“Free quality fan mods that highlight your characters in other game genres are proof that your work resonates and a unique form of word-of-mouth. In my honest opinion, they shouldn’t be treated like commercial ventures that infringe on your property. Protecting your IP can be tricky, but I hope this gets resolved. There are good ways to deal with it,” Vincke wrote.
Protecting your IP can be tricky but I do hope this gets settled. There are good ways of dealing with this.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) March 31, 2025
Larian has no say in the Dungeons & Dragons IP, as it is owned by Hasbro (via Wizards of the Coast), something Vincke admitted last year when he said he was confident they would treat Baldur’s Gate 3 and its characters with respect. The question is how respectful Wizards of the Coast has been. Two years ago, the company planned to change the license for Dungeons & Dragons, but backed down in the face of public backlash…
The lesson here is that Wizards of the Coast is a bit stubborn, and if Vincke hadn’t spoken out on Twitter, they definitely wouldn’t have backed down.
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