video games

takedown issued for popular Baldur's Gate 3 Stardew Valley mod

A popular Baldur's Gate 3 mod for Stardew Valley, Baldur's Village, has reportedly been hit with a notice from Wizards of the Coast, making it unavailable.

Matt Buckley

March 31, 2025 14:17

takedown issued for popular Baldur's Gate 3 Stardew Valley mod Source: Baldur's Village, Developer: Xun, Stardew Valley, Developer: ConcernedApe.

Update:

PCGamer has reported that Wizards of the Coast has sent them a message apologizing for the takedown. The statement reads: “The Baldur’s Village 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.” This does not explain whether this takedown was sent by an external agency or by Wizards of the Coast themselves.

At the time of posting this update, the Nexus page for the mod still will not allow access, but hopefully that is sorted out soon. Wizards of the Coast were quick to respond to this issue, though it is possible that the damage is already done to their reputation. At least fans should be able to enjoy this mod again soon.

Original Story:

Wizards of the Coast has reportedly issued a takedown of a popular Stardew Valley. This report comes from PCGamer, who spoke with Nexus Mods, the site that has been hosting the mod in question. According to Baldur’s Village’s Nexus Mods page, it is currently “under moderation review,” making it impossible for anyone to access or the mod. The mod featured a new explorable area filled with twenty characters from the popular CRPG, including a romanceable Astarion.

Stardew Valley mod Baldur’s Village has reportedly been hit with a takedown

Baldur’s Gate 3 rose to immense popularity when it launched in 2023, going on to win Game of the Year at that year’s Game Awards. The game is famous for adapting the 5th Edition ruleset for Dungeons & Dragons, which is owned by Wizards of the Coast. This is not the first time that the popular tabletop brand has found itself amidst an unnecessary controversy.

For years, since the 5th Edition ruleset arrived in 2014, Dungeons & Dragons grew to immense popularity that the hobby had never seen before. There are likely multiple reasons for this, not just the popularity of other media like Stranger Things or Critical Role. But in 2023, Wizards of the Coast made a monumental mistake that would change the landscape of tabletop role playing games forever. This may not be the time to dive deep into the Open Gaming License controversy, but it’s the prime example of the brand stepping on its own toes, and this recent doesn’t seem to show any learned lessons.

This Stardew Valley mod has earned such praise, that even the director of Baldur’s Gate 3, Swen Vincke, took notice, replying on social media: “So much love went into this – amazing work!” Larian Studios, the developer behind Baldur’s Gate 3, has said they will not make the next installation in the series, so perhaps they are very disconnected from Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons & Dragons at this point, but still, this is a perfect example of how to handle the fan enthusiasm for your product.

PCGamer reportedly reached out to Nexus, the site that hosts this mod along with many others, who said they are hopeful it is a mistake. “Hopefully, this is an oversight from [Wizards of the Coast], who often use external agencies to hunt down violating content, and they will revert their decision. Fingers crossed for Baldur’s Village.” Perhaps in the next few days there will be an update on this. Maybe Wizards of the Coast will realize they are once again doing more harm than good to their reputation with this move.

From what I understand, Baldur’s Village had no intention of earning a profit based on the Baldur’s Gate 3 content. With Larian Studios decidedly uninvolved in Baldur’s Gate 4, Wizards of the Coast would have been better off hiring this modder to turn the next game into a pixel art Baldur’s Gate rather than make an enemy out of them. While certainly different, clearly there is a huge market for this style of game, and everyone knows it will be tough to live up to Larian’s legacy.