Stellaris: Galaxy Command pulled down for a time to remove stolen Halo 4 artwork

By Samuel Tolbert
published

What you need to know

  • Stellaris: Galaxy Command is a spin on the popular strategy game Stellaris.
  • Players noticed that the game was using artwork taken from Halo 4.
  • The game has been taken offline temporarily to remove this artwork.
  • Paradox Interactive issued an apology on Twitter.

Earlier today, we reported on the announcement of Stellaris: Galaxy Command, a new MMO take on the game Stellaris, designed for mobile devices. Just hours after the game was announced and beta testing went live in a handful of countries however, the game has been pulled. Players noticed an extreme similarity to art from another science-fiction game: Halo 4.

You can see the offending copycat work below on the left, compared to the original artwork from Halo 4 on the right. You can click to enlarge the images.

This goes well beyond being inspired by a piece of art or even using it as an outline, as aside from the Pelican being removed, it's the exact same piece. Stellaris: Galaxy Command is being published by Paradox Interactive however, that team is not the developer. Instead, Gamebear, a studio located in Hong Kong, have been contracted to develop the game, with Paradox overseeing. After the stolen artwork became apparent, Paradox issued a statement on Twitter through the game's official account, explaining that the title was being pulled offline while a "full content sweep" is performed. You can read the full statement below:

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We'll provide an update when the game goes back online or if Paradox Interactive makes any further comment. There's also the question of whether this was the only stolen artwork or if other pieces not yet seen had also been copied from existing sources.

Samuel Tolbert
Samuel Tolbert

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on PlayStation on Android Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert

2 Comments
  • Clicking to engage the image does not work with the app
  • Wow, they even left the UNSC logo on the tanks and the two guys in the upper left-hand corner were completely untouched. What a bunch of thieves. If I ran Paradox, I'd terminate the contract with Gamebear and find another studio to redo the art. But I'd also issue an apology to 343, Microsoft and to a degree, Bungie, for stealing their assets instead of saying "content taken from another source." Consumers appreciate honesty and transparency and so to own up to that is very important. An apology to the player based is great, but don't forget to apologize to the source from which these assets were plagiarized.