Games Workshop Issued 'FTL in a Warhammer 40,000 Skin' Steam Game With a DMCA Takedown Because of ‘Oversized Convex Shoulder Pads With a Metallic Rim,’ Dev Says

It turns retired the “Mal Reynolds” who issued Steam crippled Void War with a DMCA takedown was not a troll who besides happened to beryllium a immense instrumentality of Firefly. It was really Warhammer 40,000 proprietor Games Workshop, which took contented with an representation of a enarthrosis pad.

Last month, IGN reported connected Void War, a strategy crippled dubbed ‘FTL successful a Warhammer 40,000 skin,’ aft it was pulled from Steam. At the time, its developer, Tundra Interactive, suggested it whitethorn person been connected the receiving extremity of a nuisance DMCA takedown from a troll claiming to beryllium Games Workshop.

Void War is often compared to some indie darling FTL and Warhammer 40,000, Games Workshop’s tabletop wargame acceptable successful the grim acheronian of the acold aboriginal — and it’s casual to spot why. The gameplay looks incredibly akin to Subset Games’ hugely fashionable 2012 ‘spaceship simulation roguelike-like,’ and the aesthetic is precise Warhammer 40,000. The voidships look similar Imperial Navy Vessels. Some of the characters look similar Space Marines. There’s an existent Psyker that’s called a Psyker. There are “Imperial Shrineworlds.” There’s adjacent a notation of “Imperial astrogation authorities.”

Following the takedown, IGN asked Tundra Interactive for comment, and it responded with thing rather unusual. It said that it had received a takedown announcement from Valve stating that Games Workshop itself had claimed copyright infringement. But here’s what made this 1 odd: the claiming accusation came from Games Workshop’s public-facing infringements inbox and the sanction “Mal Reynolds.”

Mal Reynolds is simply a sanction that volition beryllium instantly acquainted to Firefly / Serenity fans, due to the fact that that’s the sanction of the main character, played by Nathan Fillion, successful the beloved but short-lived sci-fi show. At the time, it was thought that it was improbable that Games Workshop would person idiosyncratic connected its books named Mal Reynolds. But, well, it turns retired Games Workshop truly was down the takedown, according to Tundra Interactive.

Tundra Interactive told IGN that Games Workshop yet replied to the developer to corroborate it was their notice, and that the interest was constricted to a circumstantial changeable from 1 of the trailers connected the Steam store leafage that it said could springiness the content that Void War was associated with Games Workshop. The institution specified that the constituent successful question was “the oversized convex enarthrosis pads with a metallic rim.” And, well, yeah, that Void War trailer did so person an representation of a quality who looked a batch similar a Space Marine, implicit with "oversized convex enarthrosis pads with a metallic rim."

This isn't a Space Marine, it's a quality from Void War. Or, was.

Tundra Interactive told IGN that it disagreed with Games Workshop's appraisal here, but successful bid to get Void War backmost connected Steam and to debar a drawn retired DMCA fight, it pulled the trailer. It whitethorn re-upload it successful the aboriginal aft making an adjustment, but its precedence is getting backmost to enactment connected Void War, the developer insisted. And, to that end, Void War is present backmost connected Steam.

Here’s Tundra Interactive’s connection successful afloat to IGN:

To recap, the archetypal takedown was triggered by a DMCA announcement attributed to Games Workshop. At the time, we could not independently verify the submitter beyond the sanction and interaction email Valve included. The interaction email was GW's nationalist infringements inbox, and the sanction listed was “Mal Reynolds,” which is besides a fictional quality from the sci-fi TV amusement Firefly.After implicit a week of nary response, Games Workshop yet replied to our email and confirmed the announcement was theirs. They said their interest was constricted to a circumstantial changeable from 1 of the trailers connected the store page, arguing that definite elements could make the mistaken content that Void War is associated with Games Workshop, specifically what they described arsenic “the oversized convex enarthrosis pads with a metallic rim.”All of the artwork successful the trailer is archetypal enactment created by our artists. While we disagree with their assessment, the simplest mode to get the crippled backmost up and debar getting bogged down successful DMCA process was to region that trailer and determination on. We whitethorn re-upload an updated mentation aboriginal aft we find clip to set that shot, but for present our precedence is shipping contented and finishing multi-language font enactment truthful we tin yet present due translations.Thanks for your patience, and convey you for the overwhelming support. o7 commanders.

All’s good that ends well? Perhaps. Certainly this lawsuit shows that Games Workshop and “Mal Reynolds,” who I’d emotion to conscionable 1 day, are keeping a adjacent oculus connected video crippled characters and their enarthrosis pads. Perhaps it shouldn't travel arsenic a surprise, fixed Games Workshop's past of stringent IP protection. Be warned! The Inquisition is ever watching.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].