Minecraft is the best-selling sport ever, so it’s naturally impressed dozens of Minecraft clones and similar-looking, voxel-based crafting sims over the previous 15 or so years. Many have survived with none criticism from Microsoft. However earlier this week, an upcoming Steam sport known as Allumeria was briefly taken down over a single screenshot.
On Tuesday, the developer behind the Minecraft-looking, dungeon-raiding sandbox introduced that their sport had been taken down from Valve’s storefront as a consequence of a DMCA copyright discover issued by Microsoft. The discover, shared by developer Unomelon within the sport’s Discord server, accused Allumeria of utilizing “Minecraft content material, together with however not restricted to gameplay and property.”
The takedown was apparently issued over one particular screenshot from the sport’s Steam web page. It exhibits a vaguely Minecraft-esque world with birch timber, tall grass, a blue sky, and pumpkins: all issues which might be in Minecraft but additionally in actual life and many different video games. The sport does look fairly much like Minecraft, but it surely doesn’t look like reusing any of its precise property or crossing some arbitrary line between homage and copycat that dozens of different Minecraft-inspired video games haven’t crossed earlier than.
A take a look at the sport’s Steam web page exhibits a reasonably charming crafting sim that makes clear makes an attempt to distinguish itself from Minecraft: its trailer, screenshots, and outline all emphasize a give attention to boss fights, loot, an in-depth cave system, and extra customizable decorations. It’s additionally shocking that Allumeria was hit when the lately launched Hytale, which accurately grew out of a Minecraft server and appears like an excellent polished texture pack, has been allowed to thrive seemingly with out difficulty.
Letting AI automate takedown claims
Developer Unomelon instructed me by way of Discord that the declare was issued by way of Tracer.AI, an AI platform used to mechanically detect and take away copyright infringements. Microsoft and Mojang have beforehand used the platform to take down different voxel video games, like a Roblox tech demo whose developer later spoke out in regards to the takedown, in addition to YouTube movies about Minecraft itself.
Whereas it’s unclear if the declare was issued mechanically or deliberately, Mojang Chief Artistic Officer Jens Bergensten (identified to most Minecraft gamers as Jeb) responded to a remark in regards to the takedown on Bluesky, stating that he was not conscious and is now “investigating.” Roughly 12 hours later, Allumeria‘s Steam web page has been reinstated.
“Microsoft has withdrawn their DMCA declare!” Unomelon posted earlier right this moment. “The sport is again up on Steam! Allumeria is again! Thanks EVERYONE to your help. It’s onerous to grasp {that a} single put up in my discord would result in so many individuals expressing help.”
Regardless of the repair, a demo for the sport is operating into some licensing points as gamers attempt to obtain it, although that’s a greater end result than making an attempt to counter-claim the DMCA through the February 2026 Steam Subsequent Fest which Unomelon was making ready the sport for. “[The takedown] could assist enhance the sport’s reputation but it surely additionally comes with vital threat,” they instructed Kotaku. “Submitting a counter declare opens me as much as a lawsuit which may very well be probably devastating. So even when all the pieces works out, I might nonetheless relatively the DMCA takedown by no means have occurred within the first place.”
Microsoft didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
