Larian Studios’s policy and guidelines restrict the selling of fan content or goods for any of its games, including Baldur’s Gate 3…
…The five basic rules for making fan content of Baldur’s Gate 3 and other Larian Studios games are:
- Keep it free.
- Keep it clear it’s fan content.
- Keep it honest.
- Keep it clean
- Keep it legit.
The fourth rule of “Keep it clean” simply means that Larian Studios reserves the right to stop your use of its IP if it deems your content “inappropriate, offensive, damaging, or disparaging.” It isn’t forbidding you from making R-18 content.
“Keep it honest” and “Keep it clear it’s fan content” are very similar. The main rule in question is the first one, in which you cannot sell “fan content to any third parties for any type of compensation.”
If you really want to make Baldur’s Gate 3 fan content, you can do so. You simply cannot do it for profit. This would include putting something behind a paywall, or selling items at a convention. For reference, Larian Studios defines “fan content” as “fanart, videos, stories, screenshots, cosplays, mods, or anything else.” Uploading or giving things away for free are both totally alright.
I’m guessing this may be more a WotC thing than a Larian thing. Still annoyed to hear it, since things like cosplay can be expensive and I imagine they’re things you put your heart into the same as art.
I’ve seen some damn incredible stuff at conventions before, and I’d hate to be deprived of them rather than force the artist to give their work away for free. This also makes commissioned work feel weirdly shaky, depending on what they’re calling a third party?
Wonder if this will turn into a panini situation . Free amigurumi Karlach with every purchase of a $40 pencil.
This is bog standard IP. You can make fan content all you want. You can make whatever fan content all you want. As long as you aren’t trying to say it’s actual Larian or WOTC content (i.e. don’t label it “Baldur’s Gate 3 Costume”, you’re fine. And you generally can’t directly sell content that is made from another’s IP.
The way most content creators get around that is just not saying it’s directly related to IP. The closer it is and the more litigious the rights holder (Disney and Nintendo, for instance) the more likely they may sue. Most content creators also are fine monetizing videos about games. And patreon is perfectly fine as they are paying for the person to create content, not selling it directly.
