Update Feb 11, 4.30 p.m ET: Microsoft has now rescinded the DMCA strike against Allumeria, and the game's Steam page has been reinstated. It does, indeed, seem to have been an automated strike, and the game's developer has confirmed that no counterclaim was necessary, and no further action is required on their part. Original story follows.
Allumeria is an upcoming voxel-based game, and it appears to have drawn attention from Microsoft over alleged infringement of its own voxel giant, Minecraft.
Take a look at Allumeria, and the similarities are easy to spot. That said, it raises a bigger question: can you copyright a style of game? Especially since one existed before Minecraft, called Infiniminer, which actually predates it.
So, is there more to this situation, or is Minecraft overstepping? Let’s take a closer look.
How closely does Allumeria resemble Minecraft?
In Allumeria, you will find what you would probably expect from a Minecraft-inspired title. It features voxel-based graphics, sprawling landscapes, and block-based terrain with grass, dirt, and trees.
The game is played in first person and centers around survival and exploration. At a glance, you could easily think I am describing Hytale, Minecraft, or almost any other voxel-based sandbox.
That overlap is part of the debate. According to the developers, Microsoft has filed a DMCA claim, and the Steam demo is currently no longer available.
A DMCA strike, short for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, is issued when a copyright holder claims its protected work has been used without permission. In simple terms, it is a formal notice alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted material. In this situation, Microsoft is asserting that its work has been used without approval.
There are clear resemblances, but Minecraft does not own the voxel style itself. It is a widely used visual approach within the genre, with Hytale being one of the most notable recent examples.
From what is visible, there are no textures in Allumeria that appear to be directly lifted from Minecraft. It is clearly heavily inspired, featuring similar mobs and its own version of a Nether-like area, though similar comparisons could also be made to Terraria in certain respects.
This is not the first time a voxel-styled game has faced scrutiny over similarities, as Microsoft has filed a DMCA for another voxel-based game before. The genre itself often overlaps visually, which can make distinctions harder at a glance.
In that instance, and this one, it appears to have been an automatic AI system that filed the DMCA strike, if users on Reddit are to be believed (regardless, damn you AI!).
The developers have the option to challenge it through the appropriate channels, and it is possible the claim is taken back after a real person investigates. However, for now, the demo remains unavailable on Steam while the situation unfolds.
If you want to support the developers, make sure you check out their itch.io page and/or join their Discord.
What do you think, do the similarities warrant a DMCA strike or are Microsoft over taking things too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:
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