The Last Ranger probably won't look anything like this...

As many Nintendo critics will delight in telling you, the company rarely seems to indulge in the creation of new franchises these days. Bearing this in mind, the news that Nintendo Europe has trademarked The Last Ranger — a few months after Nintendo of Japan did the same — is quite exciting indeed.

Siliconera spotted the Japanese application back in March, which also appeared under the name "Saigo no Youjimbou", which translates as "The Last Bodyguard". The European trademark — filed on the 27th of July — doesn't give any additional information, so your guess is as good as ours at this point.

It could be a massive new franchise for Nintendo, possibly arriving on the 3DS, Wii or perhaps even the Wii U — or it could be a new downloadable title for the eShop, like Dillon's Rolling Western. Let us know what your think it could be in the comments section below.

[source siliconera.com]