Nintendo has swept in with another round of trademark renewals, including some big-hitting franchises. And Mach Rider. While this is probably business as usual for the big N, these freshly-filed games have a couple of things in common. So, like any sensible humans, let's have fun and speculate!
Spotted by one user on Reddit, Nintendo has filed for four game trademarks to be renewed:
Initially, these four games β the aforementioned Mach Rider, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! β look like a slightly random selection of Nintendo faves. However, there's one big connection between the four: all of them are currently only available on the Wii U and 3DS Virtual Console stores (unless you own original hardware).
First thoughts, of course, turn to Nintendo Switch Online, which last year opened up to the Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64. Mach Rider and DCK3 wouldn't be an issue here, as the NES and SNES are already on the service. But there have been rumours of Game Boy games coming to the service for a while now, so why wouldn't its younger sibling, the Advance, follow?
Really, it's just fun to speculate, so we want to stress β don't take this as A SignTM. It might turn into something, in which case, great! It would be amazing to be able to play these on modern hardware... but it's likely just a business doing business-like things.
But, hey, at least someone at Nintendo remembers Mach Rider!
Have some fun with us! What do you think these trademark renewals mean? And would you like to see GBA games on the NSO service? Let us know!
[source chizai-watch.com, via reddit.com, dualshockers.com]
Comments 29
I didn't know they were still making games in these franchises. I'll keep my expectations in check.
Remember last year when phantom hourglass got a trademark, and everybody said it was getting remade for Zelda 35th. Yeah still waiting on that one. These really mean nothing.
Donkey Kong Country 3 is available on Nintendo Switch Online.
Minish cap is amaaaazing! Love it
Rats, I was really hoping they would let it lapse and I could steal the trademarks. Maybe next time, Nintendo, maybe next time.
I was under the impression that DKC 3 was already on SNES Online.
Well damn!
Another year, another chance for me to "own" Zelda franchise goes away...
Besides the Game & Watch, did Nintendo actually do or release anything for the Zelda Anniversary?
'Keep your expectations low'
But if I want to BELIEVE damnit!?
@Spider-Kev nope other than Skyword Sword HD
@Spider-Kev Commemorative wall papers, I think.
Switch Pro, confirmed.
@BrazillianCara Itβs a renewal for the GameBoy Advance DK3
This isn't news anymore. Not even worth bothering with.
@tektite_captain Not the GameBoy Advance DK3
Trademarks end every year, and they have to be renewed every year as well. It's just a routine.
@sanderev US Trademarks last for 10 years. They get renewed every 10 years.
Itβs sad that old movies older than Pac Man get physical re-releases on new formats like Blu-Ray and 4K UHD to own. Classic Nintendo games on the other hand are only available to rent and thatβs only a fraction of the classic games.
I think this means there's a sequel to Breath of the Wild coming soon, and possibly some Mario Kart 8 Deluxe dlc. It may also mean that cows eat grass.
I still play Minish Cap on/off on the 3DS just for the visuals alone.
@Patendo Huh, I've gotta try it sometime. I think I have avoided it because it was made by Capcom, not Nintendo. Capcom's great but I wasn't sure how well they could handle Zelda.
Also, Zero Mission is great! It's the only Metroid game I've completed so far. It's short, but that means that there's no fluff - it's all awesome.
Keep in mind these are just trademark renewable which every company are required to do every time their IP trademark expired, if they don't renew the IP, that IP could likely be thrown into the public domain. When an IP hits the public domain, its value dropped and the public could do whatever they want with it which is a no-no to creator that once created that IP. IPs that once hit the public domain are King Kong, Popeye, Sonic, Intellivision, and Bubsy or any that Piko Interactive somehow could easily grabbed such as Glover.
it means nothing, but i certainly wouldnt be mad if i were to be wrong
@GrailUK well it is nintendo related. gotta take anything you can get on a slow news day if youre a company that has the sole purpose of putting out news.
All it can possibly mean is that Nintendo is still in business, lol
Everytime I hear about The Minish Cap, I sigh in utter disappointment. Another reminder of how deathly underrated the game is, stuck behind an unnecessary Ambassador certificate and also on a console that not many people bought.
Ask anyone what they think about the floating islands in BotW 2. Do you hear about the Cloud Tops? The Wind Tribe? Vaati? Dear gosh, it is excruciatingly painful to hear people having zero knowledge that there was something that came after Skyloft and something that came before the City in the Sky.
maybe the last time of renewal for this titles were more or less at the same time? So it's just about time for a renewal?
I'd love to get more Zelda GB games on Switch (either via NSO or like LA)
GBA has such a sublime library, hope it makes its way into NSO
I'd like to see a new DK 3D collect-a-thon again. Been wanting a 2D side scrolling Zelda since the Tower of Winds in Four Sword Adventures.
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