I blame the news outlets for making it public and screaming from the rooftops that they were bypassing it.

It's not the journalists' fault if they are informing people of the existence of something. And the idea that gamers would've been able to enjoy the mod without Sony noticing if journalists never spoke of it is dumb.

So anyone have a copy saved?

I'm still able to download the file from the original link.

https://www.nexusmods.com/godofwarragnarok/mods/22?tab=files&file_id=74

This was the original description of the mod:

Notes
This project does not touch or modify any original game code and is NOT intended to encourage the piracy.

1. Download the latest release
2. Copy the version.dll and PsPcSdk.dll to the game folder
3. Enjoy!

Troubleshooting:
If you still encounter the login screen error, make sure to remove this file first:
C:\Users[Username]\Saved Games\God of War Ragnarök[AccountID]\userpreferences
Upon the first popup when it asks to link the Steam account, press "NO" button.

It's worth mentioning that the mod could stop working with future updates of the game, however.