Blind Mind Studios, the developers of indie space strategy game Star Ruler, is withdrawing the title from sale on the Impulse digital shopfront following its sale to multinational retailer GameStop.

"Due to a rather large list of things we detest about GameStop", a Blind Mind rep writes on the company's website, "Star Ruler will no longer be available for purchase on Impulse after the takeover."

"We are ending sales through Impulse due to GameStop's long, negative behavior toward the PC platform and independent games. We would never have signed onto distribution through GameStop, and being forced into this situation has only made it worse for us. We feel GameStop cannot serve as the leader of a true competitor in the digital distribution market."

Those who have already bought the game on Impulse should be OK, as Blind Mind is working to have automatic updates continue to be sent through the service even after the game's been removed from its store. Those who haven't tried the game...well, it's a little empty, but if building massive space empires is your thing, it's also available on Steam, Direct2Drive and GamersGate.

[Star Ruler, via VG247]