It Takes Two Could Be Forced To Change Its Name
The extremely popular co-op game, It Takes Two, is currently fighting a trademark claim from Take-Two - the parent company behind Grand Theft Auto.
What Is Happening With It Takes Two's Name?
Click to enlargeAfter It Takes Two was released earlier this year, the trademark claim was issued, reports Eurogamer. It appears that the developer behind It Takes Two, Hazelight, was hoping to have full ownership of the name. However, as a result of the claim, they were forced to drop it.
In patent documents that are freely available to view online, an official USPTO notice of abandonment was approved, citing: "On March 25, 2021, you filed a request to expressly abandon your application after publication and before registration. Your application is now abandoned and we will take no further action on it."
Speaking to Eurogamer, a spokesperson for the developer said that they couldn't comment on ongoing disputes, but were "hopeful that it will be resolved."
Will It Takes Two Have To Change Its Name?
This is where things get particularly interesting. The parent company behind GTA, Take-Two, has a bit of a habit of serving these kinds of notices to places. Eurogamer added that US Patent Office records shows that they have also submitted claims against small business who have the word 'Rockstar' in their names, plus other words such as 'mafia' or even, weirdly, 'civilisation'.
It might be that It Takes Two decides to avoid the issue altogether, and changes its name to something completely different. However, at this point in time there is no indication of what the resolution will be.
It's also unclear over how this will impact their sales and marketing going forward.
As a result of this issue, some Twitter users are calling for players to boycott Take-Two altogether following the news.
We will update this article if any further information comes out regarding the dispute.