<s>
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Stardock	O
Entertainment	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
released	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
begins	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2086	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
human	O
space	O
agency	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
launches	O
Earth	O
's	O
first	O
interstellar-capable	O
ship	O
to	O
investigate	O
an	O
alien	O
distress	O
signal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
follows	O
the	O
template	O
of	O
original	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
series	O
as	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
,	O
combining	O
planetary	O
exploration	O
,	O
diplomacy	O
with	O
alien	O
races	O
,	O
and	O
ship-to-ship	O
space	O
battles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
Atari	O
filed	O
for	O
bankruptcy	O
,	O
and	O
auctioned	O
its	O
assets	O
in	O
the	O
dormant	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
summer	O
,	O
Stardock	O
became	O
the	O
highest	O
bidder	O
on	O
the	O
"	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
"	O
trademark	O
and	O
the	O
copyright	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
material	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
though	O
Atari	O
's	O
assets	O
did	O
not	O
include	O
the	O
copyright	O
to	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stardock	O
built	O
their	O
game	O
using	O
the	O
Nitrous	O
Engine	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
writing	O
and	O
visual	O
art	O
inspired	O
by	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2017	O
,	O
they	O
announced	O
delays	O
and	O
changes	O
in	O
plans	O
,	O
forcing	O
them	O
to	O
cancel	O
their	O
planned	O
Defense	O
of	O
the	O
Ancients-style	O
combat	O
system	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
a	O
public	O
beta	O
of	O
their	O
one-on-one	O
Super	O
Melee	B-Application
system	O
in	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reported	O
budget	O
for	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
was	O
$10	O
million	O
,	O
with	O
additional	O
costs	O
for	O
marketing	O
and	O
promotion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
Stardock	O
initially	O
told	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
create	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
as	O
a	O
prequel	B-Application
,	O
taking	O
place	O
43	O
years	O
before	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stardock	O
CEO	O
Brad	O
Wardell	O
sought	O
to	O
involve	O
creators	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
October	O
2017	O
,	O
Stardock	O
represented	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
speaking	O
frequently	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
creators	O
,	O
reiterating	O
that	O
Origins	O
would	O
take	O
place	O
in	O
an	O
alternate	O
universe	O
,	O
branching	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
series	O
 '	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
became	O
an	O
issue	O
in	O
an	O
ensuing	O
lawsuit	O
,	O
Stardock	B-Application
Systems	I-Application
,	I-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
v	I-Application
.	I-Application
Reiche	I-Application
,	O
leading	O
to	O
Origins	O
being	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
separate	O
universe	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
and	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
II	I-Application
were	O
created	O
by	O
Paul	O
Reiche	O
III	O
and	O
Fred	O
Ford	O
under	O
their	O
Toys	O
for	O
Bob	O
studio	O
,	O
with	O
Accolade	O
publishing	O
the	O
titles	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
among	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
with	O
high	O
demand	O
for	O
a	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
still	O
owned	O
the	O
copyrights	O
in	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
I	O
and	O
II	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
could	O
not	O
successfully	O
purchase	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
,	O
leading	O
them	O
to	O
consider	O
a	O
new	O
title	O
for	O
a	O
potential	O
follow-up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
them	O
to	O
remake	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
II	I-Application
as	O
The	B-Application
Ur-Quan	I-Application
Masters	I-Application
,	O
which	O
they	O
released	O
in	O
2002	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
download	O
under	O
an	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
copyright	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
and	O
copyright	O
for	O
III	O
was	O
transferred	O
to	O
Infogrames	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
happened	O
when	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
publisher	O
Accolade	O
sold	O
their	O
company	O
to	O
Infogrames	O
in	O
1999	O
,	O
who	O
merged	O
with	O
Atari	O
and	O
re-branded	O
under	O
the	O
Atari	O
name	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
GOG.com	O
began	O
selling	O
a	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
re-release	O
on	O
their	O
digital	O
store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ford	O
contacted	O
the	O
sales	O
platform	O
,	O
saying	O
they	O
could	O
not	O
sell	O
the	O
games	O
without	O
permission	O
,	O
leading	O
GOG.com	O
to	O
separately	O
license	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
from	O
Atari	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
games	O
themselves	O
from	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stardock	O
became	O
the	O
top	O
bidder	O
on	O
Atari	O
's	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
intellectual	O
property	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
hearing	O
the	O
news	O
,	O
Paul	O
Reiche	O
indicated	O
that	O
he	O
still	O
owned	O
the	O
copyright	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
games	O
,	O
so	O
Stardock	O
must	O
have	O
purchased	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
,	O
and	O
this	O
was	O
confirmed	O
by	O
Stardock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indeed	O
,	O
the	O
Atari	O
asset	O
purchase	O
agreement	O
listed	O
two	O
assets	O
sold	O
to	O
Stardock	O
:	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
and	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
III	I-Application
copyright	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Stardock	O
began	O
developing	O
their	O
new	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
game	O
,	O
they	O
re-iterated	O
that	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
acquire	O
the	O
copyright	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
need	O
a	O
license	O
from	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
to	O
use	O
their	O
content	O
and	O
lore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
echoed	O
this	O
understanding	O
in	O
a	O
2015	O
Game	O
Developer	O
Conference	O
interview	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
Stardock	O
's	O
game	O
would	O
use	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Stardock	O
announced	O
that	O
Origins	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
prequel	B-Application
to	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
email	O
,	O
Stardock	O
tried	O
to	O
license	O
character	O
designs	O
from	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
,	O
but	O
creators	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
repeatedly	O
declined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2016	O
,	O
Stardock	O
described	O
Origins	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
timeline	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
multiverse	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
none	O
of	O
the	O
older	O
games	O
 '	O
characters	O
,	O
to	O
avoid	O
infringing	O
on	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
's	O
copyrighted	O
lore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2017	O
,	O
Stardock	O
began	O
selling	O
the	O
older	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
games	O
via	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
store	I-Application
,	O
as	O
a	O
promotion	O
for	O
Origins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
private	O
negotiations	O
,	O
Stardock	O
declined	O
to	O
stop	O
selling	O
the	O
games	O
,	O
leading	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
to	O
formally	O
request	O
that	O
Steam	B-Application
remove	O
the	O
original	O
series	O
from	O
their	O
store	O
via	O
a	O
Digital	O
Millennium	O
Copyright	O
Act	O
(	O
DMCA	O
)	O
takedown	O
notice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
October	O
,	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
announced	O
Ghosts	O
of	O
the	O
Precursors	O
as	O
a	O
direct	O
sequel	O
to	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
Stardock	O
supported	O
this	O
announcement	O
for	O
Ghosts	O
of	O
the	O
Precursors	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
true	O
sequel	O
to	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
2	I-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
claimed	O
their	O
new	O
Origins	O
game	O
would	O
take	O
place	O
in	O
an	O
alternate	O
universe	O
that	O
split	O
off	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
series	O
 '	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
December	O
2017	O
,	O
Stardock	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
for	O
infringing	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
when	O
they	O
announced	O
Ghosts	O
of	O
the	O
Precursors	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
direct	O
sequel	O
"	O
to	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
trademark	O
applications	O
included	O
names	O
of	O
alien	O
races	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
trademark	O
for	O
the	O
community	O
managed	O
open-source	B-License
remake	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Ur-Quan	I-Application
Masters	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
ruling	O
,	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
issued	O
a	O
DMCA	O
takedown	O
notice	O
to	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
GOG.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
month	O
,	O
both	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
GOG.com	O
restored	O
Origins	O
for	O
sale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
parties	O
reached	O
a	O
legal	O
settlement	O
,	O
agreeing	O
that	O
Stardock	O
will	O
own	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
trademark	O
,	O
and	O
Reiche	O
and	O
Ford	O
will	O
own	O
The	B-Application
Ur-Quan	I-Application
Masters	I-Application
trademark	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
has	O
a	O
Metacritic	O
score	O
of	O
75	O
,	O
indicating	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
's	O
Dan	O
Stapleton	O
gave	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
a	O
review	O
score	O
of	O
6.9/10	O
praising	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
combat	O
system	O
and	O
humorous	O
dialogue	O
,	O
but	O
criticizing	O
the	O
repetitive	O
gameplay	O
of	O
planetary	O
resource	O
gathering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
echoed	O
by	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
's	O
Ian	O
Birnbaum	O
,	O
who	O
gave	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
a	O
review	O
score	O
of	O
60/100	O
criticizing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
depth	O
and	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
grinding	B-Application
in	O
gathering	O
resources	O
on	O
planets	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
praising	O
the	O
humor	O
in	O
the	O
dialog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
's	O
David	O
Wildgoose	O
rated	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
6/10	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
at	O
its	O
best	O
,	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
urges	O
you	O
to	O
poke	O
and	O
prod	O
into	O
every	O
corner	O
of	O
its	O
intimidatingly	O
vast	O
galaxy	O
,	O
searching	O
out	O
ancient	O
secrets	O
and	O
pun-filled	O
absurdities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
its	O
worst	O
,	O
it	O
drags	O
you	O
through	O
mediocre	O
arcade	O
sequences	O
and	O
generic	O
grind	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stardock	O
reports	O
that	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
received	O
10,000	O
pre-orders	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
sales	O
of	O
50,000	O
copies	O
after	O
one	O
week	O
of	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
