© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
GTA parent company, Take-Two Interactive has reportedly filed a trademark claim against Hazelight studio’s new title – ‘It Takes Two.’ The claimant had forced studio director, Josef Fares, to abandon ownership over the game’s name because it rings too close to their company/division name.
Hazelight had issued a notice of abandonment back on 25 March 2021, the day before It Takes Two’s launch on all platforms. The official statement from the US Patent Office entailed that the company had respectfully abandoned ownership over the game’s name. In a statement with Eurogamer, a Hazelight spokesperson said that the studio could not comment on the ongoing issues, but remains “hopeful it will be resolved.”
Over the past year, Take-Two has been on a rampage, trying to file trademark claims against an array of companies and products. According to the US Patent Office’s records, the disputes were targeted at businesses using generic words like “rockstar,” “starrocks,” “mafia,” “social club,” and “max fayne” (Max Payne) among others. Take-Two claims that the companies have been trying to profit off of their brand(s).
In a tweet, Industry analyst, Mike Futter stated that the overreaching disputes were inclined towards future-proofing the names. Hazelight can still continue to use the name, but it doesn’t have legal ownership anymore. “They could still use the name, but so could anyone else without Hazelight being able to do anything about it,” it reads.
“Take-Two isn’t saying that Hazelight is infringing, but it doesn’t want them to be able to protect the name (and put it out of TT’s reach since it is so close to their company name),” said Mike. “Imagine if they wanted to make their company motto ‘It’s Take-Two.’”
Directed by Josef Fares, It Takes Two is a fun rom-com platformer about two dolls – Cody and May. Players take control of each of them and complete a set of puzzles and other minigames in a split-screen co-op gameplay system. The game features an overarching emotional story about divorce, and comes with a ‘Friend’s pass,’ which allows the owner of the game to invite their friend to play for free. Meaning, only one of you need to own the game.
It Takes Two recently got nominated for The Game Awards 2021 under five categories, including the prestigious Game of the Year award. The title is currently available to download for free on the Xbox Game Pass subscription system.
