Reiza Studios has removed the Steam store page for racing sim Automobilista following a copyright claim from an unknown source.

Released in early access of February this year, Automobilista pits players against one another in the Brazillian racing series with a diverse range of car types and intricate customization. Previously sitting on Steam with a 'very positive' review score and hosting regular updates since early access began, the removal from Steam came as a sudden surprise to fans of the title.

The announcement came in the form of a post on Reiza Studios' forum, with the following statement:

The Steam store page for Automobilista has been taken down due to a copyright infringement claim which had been submitted to Valve. As is known, Automobilista packages a variety of officially licensed cars & brands alongside fictionalized, originally created content. The claim in question does not make any specific reference to content present in Automobilista supposedly in infringement of the party´s copyright - until it does, our belief is that it has no merit. We have already taken the appropriate measures to resolve the issue ASAP, but in accordance to Valve´s policy, the process may take a few days to be completed. In the meantime time we will continue to progress with the development of Automobilista, and intend to release another Early Access update shortly. The game is available for purchase as part of our Membership packages from our forum store. Please understand that until the matter is fully resolved, we may not be able to discuss it.

While the source is unknown, the removal of the store page for Automobilista comes just days after website RaceDepartment was forced to remove several mods for the F1 series and Automobilista following a separate copyright claim by Formula One World Championships Ltd. The mods were intended to keep old car models up to date by replacing them with the latest chassis, though were unlicensed by Formula One. Codemasters alone retains the rights to the Forumula One franchise and this latest claim could be an effort by the company to ensure strong sales for their newest releases, though the source that caused the store page removal is still as yet unconfirmed.

What do you think of this happening? Do you think that the Formula One mods has any relation to the main game being taken down? Share your thoughts in the comments below!