Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Stellaris: Galaxy Command has been taken offline by Paradox Interactive, as players spotted stolen Halo 4 artwork in the mobile game (via Polygon).
The free-to-play mobile game is developed by Gamebear and published by Paradox, and is centred on delivering a multiplayer experience of the popular sci-fi strategy game, Stellaris. Available for both iOS and Android devices, the player must rebuild their space station after catastrophe strikes and to do so, they will need to trade, form alliances, and declare war on other players. As a survival of the fittest, the ‘persistent, player-driven world’ of Stellaris: Galaxy Command is in the hands of its space cadets as they establish fleets, choose the fate of their civilisation, and discover alien mysteries.
Or, they would be doing that, had the game not been pulled offline by the publisher. The beta launched yesterday in a select few countries, and eagle-eyed players noticed that something was amiss. Reddit user antshekter posted a screenshot of Stellaris: Galaxy Command that shows Halo 4 artwork used as a background for the game. 343 Industries technical art director Kenny Kagnusson’s work displays classic Halo vehicles, like the Scorpion tanks and Warthogs. It even features the United Nations Space Command logo quite prominently on the vehicles.
Oops. Once alerted to the stolen artwork, Paradox released a statement on the official Stellaris: Galaxy Command Twitter account. ‘We have learned that artwork inside Stellaris: Galaxy Command was taken from another source,’ it read. ‘We are immediately removing this content from the game and we are deeply sorry to our fans and to the affected creators.’
Paradox stated that it will ‘do better’ and it was a ‘clear mistake on our part’, and announced that the mobile beta will be taken offline while the developer and publisher enact a ‘full content sweep’. We don’t know when Stellaris: Galaxy Command will be back online, but if that was the only instance of lifted artwork, then theoretically it should be re-launched soon.
