Star Control: Origins Removed from Steam and GOG After DMCA Notice

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Star Control: Origins is no longer available on Steam or GOG as DMCA take-down noticed was filed by the creators of Star Control II.
On September 20, Star Control: Origins was released by Galactic Civilizations III developer Stardock. That being said, the developer had to deal with a lot of legal issues prior to the game’s release due to claims of copyright infringement by the creators of Star Control II. This issue has finally come to a head months after the game’s launch, resulting in the removal of Star Control: Origins from both Steam and GOG due to a DMCA take-down notice form the creators Stardock had a dispute with.

According to a recent post on Stardock’s website, both Steam and GOG have a fairly cut and dry policy when it comes to DMCAs, taking titles that supposedly infringe on copyrights down quickly without much investigation. As a result, Star Origins: Control is no longer available to purchase on the aforementioned storefronts, though oddly enough some of its DLC still is. You can check out the full DMCA notice below:

While Stardock claims to have bought the Star Control IP off Atari back in 2013, Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford, the developers who are considered the creators of the beloved Star Control II, claim to own the copyright on several aspects of gameplay featured in Star Control: Origins. This has ultimately resulted in a nasty legal dispute between the two parties, with suing and counter-suing happening aplenty.

This DMCA take-down from Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford is likely a last ditch effort by them to keep Star Control: Origins off the market and unprofitable for Stardock until this issue is resolved in court. Stardock vehemently stands by the fact that they own the rights to the IP and that Star Control: Origins is completely legal.

Unfortunately, not profiting from the game while they work to get Star Control: Origins back up on Steam and GOG means Stardock will have to lay off some of the developers who were working on the game. While this nasty dispute means Star Control: Origins is no longer available on any platforms, Stardock confirmed that those who have already purchased the game on Steam or GOG will still be able to play Star Control: Origins.