A videogame IP attorney says the filings are “far from a promise that the next Kingdom Come videogame will feature multiplayer.”
Last month, we covered Warhorse Studios’ European trademark filings for Kingdom Come Salvation, which provided an early indication of what title we can expect for the third “Kingdom Come adventure” that Warhorse announced was in the works in May. Beyond the name, the filing featured tantalizing language about “services for matching users with computer games,” leading to speculation that the next Kingdom Come could include online functionality.
This week, additional Kingdom Come Salvation trademark filings have emerged in the US (via Phrasemaker), containing expanded language about online services. But while it’s tempting to read the trademark classification as a promise that there’s jolly medieval Bohemian camaraderie in our future, we checked with a videogame IP expert who said we shouldn’t get our hopes up.
In both the European and American trademark filings, the sections stirring up speculation are the goods and services classifications specified for the trademark. In addition to the IC 009 classification typically used for videogame trademarks, the filings also classify Kingdom Come Salvation under IC 041—a classification that the World Intellectual Property Organization says covers “services having the basic aim of the entertainment, amusement, or recreation of people,” including online gaming services.
In the European filing, the language for the IC 041 classification is fairly general, referring to “online interactive entertainment” and “electronic games services provided by means of a global communication network.” While the US filing uses similarly broad terms, it also includes these two eyebrow-raising service descriptions:
- Providing online computer games featuring virtual environments in which users can interact for entertainment purposes
- Providing online computer games featuring virtual worlds in which users can interact for entertainment purposes
While neither of Warhorse’s previous Kingdom Come trademark filings included IC 041 classifications, the Salvation filings are “far from a promise that the next Kingdom Come videogame will feature multiplayer,” according to videogame IP lawyer Kirk Sigmon.