Wrestlefest: WWE Planning a New Video Game?
When a company applies for a trademark, that’s usually a dead giveaway that it is either planning to commercialize or market a product carrying the trademark or has already been used for a product the rounds and the trademark application is just an afterthought to protect the branding before someone else uses it. In games and the media, this may not be commonly observed but when WWE has been seen to have trademarked the name “Wrestlefest”, gamers can’t help but speculate there could be a new WWE game in the offing.
Wrestling gaming fans will recall that the name “Wrestlefest” was used in a 1991 professional arcade game released by Japanese video game developer Technos for the WWF, one of WWE’s earlier names. Technos closed shop in 1996. Gamers online promptly assumed that they can expect a new wrestling video game from WWE which carry the “Wrestlefest” branding. It could be a revival of the 1991 game or that of its predecessor WWF Superstars. There’s no official word yet to confirm or deny the rumors. If anything, WWE’s recent trademarking of the name reveals that its use back in 1991 wasn’t trademarked. Is WWE just doing it as an afterthought or reserving it for a new game?
Screenshot from WWE'12 (Credit: THQ)
It has been earlier announced by THQ and WWE that WWE Brawl will be released during the latter part of 2012. That makes it unlikely that a new WWE Wrestlefest will appear anytime soon, perhaps in 2013 or later. Then again, knowing that WWE has interest in the real professional wrestling business, along with other media businesses like films and music, the “Wrestlefest” trademark could be used in anything but games. Could it be a movie or a techno rap from Eminem?
- Share article with other networks
