Starsand Island devs apologise after delisting the game from Steam over an apparent copyright breach.
Starsand Island by Seed Sparkle Lab, was found to be missing from Steam early this morning, with only its DLCs remaining available on the platform. After hours of questions from fans, moderators on the game’s Discord finally revealed that the cosy game was delisted due to assets in its newly launched Arcade section that appear to have breached copyright laws.
“Due to an oversight during the planning phase, certain core elements of expression from a classic title were used without proper authorisation within our mini-game section. We sincerely apologise for this mistake,” the Starsand Island developers said in a statement.
Starsand Island
Release Date: 11 February, 2026
Platforms: PC (Steam) and Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 (planned for Summer 2026)
Developer: Seed Sparkle Lab
When Starsand Island is coming back to Steam
At present, the developers are awaiting approval from Steam for a new build of the game, with the unauthorised content removed. Once the review process is complete, Starsand Island will be relisted on the platform. Devs have assured that downloading the updated version will not affect players’ existing saved data.
Players who already own the game can still access it via their Steam library. However, new players interested in picking it up will need to wait until it returns to the store.
As a gesture of apology, the developers have promised to provide the “Shining Star” Outfit Set as a free DLC within the next seven working days.
What unauthorised content was in Starsand Island
Some players have speculated that the copyright issue stems from the Tetris-inspired mini-game. One Reddit user commented: “The shape of the tetrominoes is copyrighted, as is the gameplay,” with several more comments suggesting its Tetris-like mini-game as the culprit.
The iconic arcade game, Tetris, does indeed have strict guidelines regarding what constitutes infringement. These include the dimensions of the playing field–20 squares high by 10 squares wide–as well as features such as the colour change when pieces lock into place. As a result, Tetris has long been a point of discussion among developers, who must tread carefully to avoid crossing the line into infringement.
Nonetheless, Seed Sparkle Lab has stated that such an incident will not happen again, adding that it will “strengthen internal review and auditing processes”, alongside issuing a further apology.
What is Starsand Island?
Starsand Island is a cosy game on Steam developed by Seed Sparkle Lab. It features many familiar relaxing elements, including farming and exploration, alongside life simulation on a tropical island. The game is often compared to Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
