Sci-fi strategy game Void War issued DMCA takedown by Warhammer owner Games Workshop due to shoulder pads

While it's never nice to hear about a DMCA takedown, it's hard to look at the FTL-like roguelike Void War and say it doesn't wear its inspirations on its sleeves. The game features a futuristic setting in which players must command their ship through a hostile galaxy, facing forces of dark cults that have spread like a plague across the stars.

Releasing in June 2025, the game was met with a positive reception, although recently it made headlines for one big name in particular not being too much of a fan. As the developers made clear to IGN, a DMCA has been issued to Void War by Warhammer owner Games Workshop, as it's believed a lot of the game's current elements could lead players to thinking it is associated with the famous tabletop wargame. This first occurred last month, when the game disappeared from Steam.

It's back up now, but initially Tundra - the developer and publisher of Void War - thought the DMCA claim was a joke as it came from one Mal Reynolds. If you're not aware, that's the name of the main character in Firefly. But, Games Workshop really was behind the takedown, which was entirely concerned with a specific shot featuring "oversized convex shoulder pads with a metallic rim" on a specific character. To get the game back on Steam, Tundra pulled the trailer featuring the shot, even though it disagreed with GW's assessment.

What do you think? Copyright infringement or merely an homage?