Paradox takes Stellaris: Galaxy Command offline over stolen Halo 4 artwork

Paradox has taken Stellaris: Galaxy Command offline after players spotted misappropriated Halo 4 artwork in the game. 

The mobile spin-off only launched in beta form yesterday, but within hours some Reddit users noticed a piece of in-game artwork that seemed to feature iconic vehicles and a location from the Halo franchise. 

After a big of digging, the asset in question (shown at the bottom of the article) was revealed to have been created by 343 Industries technical art director Kenny Kagnusson for use in Halo 4. 

The issue was quickly brought to the attention of publisher Paradox, which outsourced development of the game to mobile studio Gamebear, resulting in it being taken offline while the company performs a full content sweep. 

"We have learned that artwork from inside Stellaris: Galaxy Command was taken from another source. We are immediately removing this content from the game and we are deeply sorry to our fans and to the affected creators," reads a statement posted on the game's Twitter account. 

"To perform a full content sweep and ensure this issue is resolved, we have temporarily taken the game offline. This was a clear mistake on our part, and we are working to fix it as quickly as we can. 

"We trust Gamebear to make things right for Galaxy Command and we will work closely with them to ensure this game meets the high standards our players deserve. We're sorry this happened, and we will do better."