Void War delisted from Steam after DMCA claim citing 'Mal Reynolds', developer says

Void War, a Warhammer 40,000–inspired strategy roguelite from indie studio Tundra, has been removed from Steam after a DMCA takedown purportedly sent by Warhammer owner Games Workshop.

Tundra says it received no direct communication from Games Workshop and that Valve's evidence for the complaint was Games Workshop’s public-facing infringements inbox and the name "Mal Reynolds."

Kotaku notes the game is heavily inspired by 2012's FTL and uses Warhammer 40K aesthetics and elements of its IP, and describes the project as small and derivative.

Games Workshop is known to issue DMCA notices, and some allege this is done by a third-party company's AI scanning for potential infringements. Kotaku says a seemingly bogus takedown could nonetheless draw GW's attention to a small project like Void War.

Tundra says it is proceeding through the standard DMCA process to get the Steam page restored and will post updates. The studio also says it has not received a response from the GW inbox referenced in the notice; Kotaku says it has contacted Games Workshop asking whether the company was involved.

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