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EA Files System Shock Trademark
Gamespot is reporting the EA has filed for a trademark on the System Shock brand. From the article: "Electronic Arts registered a trademark last month on the title 'System Shock' for use in video games. Interestingly enough, it also made note that the trademark was to apply to 'a computer game that may be accessed network-wide by network users,' or 'an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices.' An EA representative was not immediately available for comment as to whether the trademark was a sign that the dormant franchise would soon be awoken, or if it was just a bit of routine upkeep of the company's intellectual property. " Take-Two is still developing the title thought to be the spiritual successor to the System Shock series, BioShock. Their purchase of Irrational Studios was reported yesterday.
FTA: "Take-Two may have locked down the rights to the spiritual successor of System Shock, but Electronic Arts is making sure the original franchise stays put."
Since Irrational was purchased by Take2, I can't see EA resurrecting the SS franchise now... especially since Bioshock is in dev. That's too much competition for a new EA SS title to face. Maybe in a couple years when Bioshock isn't on the radar anymore.
This is just about EA making sure Take2 doesn't use the System Shock name in their new Irrational titles.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Actually, Doug Church, one of the developers at Looking Glass on the original title, works @ EA now. Makes you wonder.
'an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices' Does this sound like the Majestic game that was released,I believe, in 2001? I remember that Majestic did not take off for some reason.
The notable part of this for me is the weirdly narrow trademark. It dosesn't appear that this trademark, as worded, applies to a non-networked, single-player game, but rather only to 'an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices.' So, considering only this trademark, somebody is quite free to make System Shock 3 as a single-player game. It's not like EA to underreach, I wonder what the other shoe is.