Trademark renewal is part of everyday business for big video game companies, so news that Microsoft was renewing the Killer Instinct trademark could have meant nothing, however Microsoft addressing it directly may hint at bigger things.
Killer Instinct was a popular arcade fighting game from the ‘90’s with outlandish characters like skeletal warriors, werewolves and aliens made of living fluid, known for huge combos and, of course, c-c-c-c-c-combo breakers!
In the modern renaissance of console fighting games where classic fighting franchises like Mortal Kombat and even cult-favorites like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure are given new life, now may be the perfect time to bring back Killer Instinct in high definition.
“With all due respect to our friends in the media who like to frequent trademark sites, we thought we’d break this one ourselves,” says a post on playxbla.com, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade website. “Our legal eagles have authorized us to say: ‘We have either renewed or refilled a trademark application in various jurisdictions.’”
These sorts of trademark renewals are not unusual, but they usually go under the radar. They are usually something companies do to protect properties, even if they have no intentions to use them in the short term. What is unusual is the company directly addressing them in a public post like this. The fact that it was posted on Playxbla.com also suggests a digital release, perhaps an HD remastering of the arcade originals.
Whatever Microsoft has in store, assuming this is not just a cruel tease to starving fans, players will have to wait a bit longer to find out for sure.
About Cody Johnstone
A journalism graduate and part-time freelance writer, Cody has covered everything from political elections, to business to entertainment writing for community newspapers and has recently been putting his talents to work writing features and reviews for video game blogs. Some of his earliest memories include stomping Goombas in Super Mario Bros. which lead to his life-love love of Nintendo. His love affair with portable gaming started with the Game Boy Color and now spends entirely too much time ruining his eyes with the 3DS. Twitter: @CodyJohnstone
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