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Movies News

300 prequel renamed – “300: Rise of An Empire” domains registered [UPDATED]

300: Rise of an Empire

UPDATE – SEP. 13, 2012:  Box Office Mojo has also backed up speculation that the 300 prequel will now be called “300: Rise of An Empire”.  Several hours after this story was originally published, Box Office Mojo posted the movie title change to its website from “Untitled ‘300’ Sequel” to “300: Rise of An Empire”.

ORIGINAL STORY – SEP. 12, 2012 @ 4:21 AM EST: Is the upcoming prequel to 300 called ‘300: Battle of Artemisia’ getting a new title?

There appears to be a possibility that the film may be renamed.

Sparking speculation are some interesting domain registrations made this week by the brand protection company MarkMonitor, the same firm responsible for registering the Battle of Artemisa names back in January of this year.

The list of new domains registered privately by MarkMonitor on September 10, 2012, include 300-riseofanempire.com (Whois), 300riseofanempire.com (Whois), 300theriseofanempire.com (Whois) and RiseofanEmpire.com (Whois).

Each name was registered anonymously using MarkMonitor’s Whois privacy service DNStination, but you can bet the company behind the names is Warner Bros.  Warner Bros.’ very own warnerbros.com (Whois) is managed through MarkMonitor.

Whois: 300RiseofAnEmpire.com

If the film is retitled, it wouldn’t be the first time.

In June 2011, Deadline reported that the 300 prequel, first known as “Xerxes”, would be retitled to 300: Battle of Artemisia.

Xerxes

One thing is for sure, “Rise of An Empire” is much easier to spell than “Battle of Artemisia”, but if the name is changing, that’s probably not the only driver.

Recent 300 buzz focused on news that Gerard Butler would not be appearing in the Warner Bros. film.  Butler told an MTV reporter, “They’re filming [the ‘300’ sequel] right now. I wish them the best, but it didn’t [work out]. It wasn’t really my thing.”

At the time of this story, none of the new domains resolve to a web page.  A quick check of other top level domains, shows that MarkMonitor only pursued the .coms, leaving other domains available.

The 300 prequel, whatever it is called, is scheduled to be in theaters on August 2, 2013.

TALKING ABOUT THIS STORY: Moviehole

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News Video Games

Riot Games (League of Legends maker) builds mobile team, gets RiotGames.mobi

Riot Games Dublin Office

Riot Games may dominate the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) market in the PC universe with League of Legends, but today, it has yet to enter the mobile MOBA market.

A market that is very small but has big possibilities.

Though League of Legends may not be ready for gaming on the go, Riot Games is ramping up its mobile development teams as shown by job openings posted online.

This week, the company even acquired the domain name RiotGames.mobi (Whois).  Dotmobi is the top-level domain introduced for the mobile web.  Of course, while obtaining the name may be nothing more than a move by the company to protect its intellectual property, there are plenty of signs that Riot is focusing efforts in the mobile arena.

In late August, Riot posted a job for a Mobile Product Manager in Santa Monica.  The listing says the company is building a dynamic, fast-moving Riot Mobile team to help the company develop and create mobile solutions.

Riot Games mobile product manager job listing

The website RiotGames.mobi is currently a parked web page at the time of this story.

It’s unknown whether Riot had to fork out cash to get the name or if it simply had its legal department contact the previous owner.  The domain was acquired through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.  According to Whois history, the name was originally registered anonymously in 2010 and changed ownership to Riot Games this week.

There are developers in the mobile MOBA market.

This October, Gameloft will be releasing the mobile game Heroes of Order & Chaos.

Heroes of Order & Chaos
As Pocket Gamer points out in a recent story, Gameloft will be copying the League of Legends tactic of making six characters free for a week at a time, with the option to buy them outright with real money should they take your fancy.

There hasn’t been much news out of Riot regarding its mobile game plans, but with all the mobile job openings being posted, it may not be too long before more is known.

And in case you’re wondering, Riot Games does own the domain leagueoflegends.mobi.  The company has owned the web address name since 2008.  Today, the web address redirects users to LeagueofLegends.com.

Talking about this story: Kotaku

(Image of Riot Games Dublin offices via RiotGames.com)

Categories
News Trademarks Video Games

Star Wars: First Assault trademarks filed for “interactive video games” [UPDATED]

Star Wars: First Assault

Last week, Lucasfilm (the parent company of LucasArts) secretly registered several “Star Wars: First Assault” domain names like StarWarsFirstAssault.com.  It was suspected that the names had something to do with a yet-to-be announced video game project.

More information has surfaced in recent days in the way of two new trademark applications submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  On August 23, 2012, Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. filed trademarks for “First Assault” (Serial Number: 85711610) and “Star Wars: First Assault” (Serial Number: 85711618).

Both applications cover the same goods and services which, among other things, includes “Entertainment services provided on-line by means of global and local area networks, namely, providing interactive computer games and interactive video games.”

Here’s a look at the full list of goods and services in each filing:

Interactive entertainment software and accompanying instruction manuals sold as a unit, namely, computer game software and manuals sold as a unit, video game software and manuals sold as a unit; video game software, computer game software, and pre-recorded compact discs and DVDs featuring games, films, animation, music, computer game software, and video game software; downloadable video game software and downloadable computer game software; computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones

Books containing puzzles and games; calendars; children’s books; children’s books combined with toys and sold as a unit; comic books; comic magazines; gift books in the field of video games; graphic novels; printed instructional manuals and strategy guides in the field of computer games; magazines in the field of entertainment; markers; non-electronic personal planners and organizers; notebooks; novels for juveniles; pencil cases; pencil sharpeners; pencils; pens; personal organizers; postcards; posters; puzzle books; series of fiction books; sticker albums; sticker books; stickers; temporary tattoos; trading cards; animation cels; lithographic prints; original works of art created from paper; photographic prints; printed art reproductions

Toy action figures; accessories for use with toy action figures; action type target games; balloons; bath toys; board games; card games; cases for action figures; cases for play accessories for action figure, model vehicles and model space craft; connecting links for toy building blocks; construction toys; costume masks; costume masks for dolls; dolls; rubber hi bounce balls; jigsaw puzzles; paper face masks; parlor games; play sets for toy model vehicles, toy model space craft; plush toys; protective pads and padding for skateboarding; role-playing games; toy model space crafts and related accessories sold as units; three-dimensional puzzles; toy action figures; toy building blocks; toy candy dispensers; toy candy holders, namely, plastic candy dispenser designed as a toy; toy coin banks; toy model hobby craft kits for making model spacecraft, model cars and model vehicles; toy model vehicles and related accessories sold as a units; toy modeling dough kits and accessories for use therewith sold as units; toy remote control vehicles, namely, airplanes, spacecraft, boats; toy scooters; toy snow globes; toy vehicles; toy weapons; toy model vehicles and accessories therefore sold as a unit; water squirting toys; wind-up toys; yo-yos; collectible card games; collectible miniature board games, and toy helmets

Entertainment services provided on-line by means of global and local area networks, namely, providing interactive computer games and interactive video games, all on-line by means of global and local area networks; providing news and information in the field of entertainment relating to interactive computer game software and interactive video game software over an electronic network; fan club services

Online social networking services

While little is still known about “Star Wars: First Assault”, the trademark filings offer more insight.

LucasArts has yet to announce anything official.

UPDATE 4 – MARCH 12, 2013:. Kotaku has posted leaked screenshots of the game.  See below:

Star Wars: First Assault video game

Star Wars First Assault screenshot

Star Wars First Assault screenshot

UPDATE 3 – MARCH 11, 2013:. Kotaku reports that Star Wars: First Assault is a downloadable multiplayer shooter that was originally slated for release this spring.  Jason Schreier writes, “First Assault is “step zero” to the heavily-rumored, highly-anticipated Star Wars: Battlefront III. If First Assault sells well—assuming it is released at all—the third Battlefront could be next.”

UPDATE 2 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013:.  Sources familiar with game development at LucasArts have all told Kotaku that development on the game has been frozen or put on hold since the Disney acquisition.

UPDATE 1 – OCTOBER 1, 2012:.  The box art for Star Wars: First Assault for Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) was discovered (via NeoGAF).

Talking about this story:  Game Informer, GameSpot, G4tv, Game Trailers, Joystiq, Computerandvideogames.com, Digital Spy, Escapist Magazine, Everybody Plays, Eurogamer.net, Eurogamer.pt, IGN, Jeux Video.fr, Game Rant, Gamekult.com, Gamed, Gamers.fr, Gameplanet, Blue’s News, Gamespy.com, GameStar, Geek, GMA News, gram.pl, Anakinweb.com, gry-online.pl, Lenta.ru, MCV, MeriStation, Metro, NeoGAF, Kotaku, NowGamer, PC GamesBoa Informação, PlayStation LifeStyle (blog), Shacknews, Shogun Gamer, T3, TheForce.net, tweakers.net, Vandal, Videogamer.com, VG247 and We Got This Covered

(Image of the TIE fighter via StarWars.com)

Categories
Movies News Video Games

Sony Pictures registers a slew of ‘Console War’ movie domain names

Playstation 4 PS4 concept

The next generation of console wars between Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft is set to begin as all three manufacturers are due to release a new console in the near future.  Nintendo plans to release the Wii U in 2012, while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 are expected in 2013.  Adding to the “war of consoles”, Sony Pictures has registered several domain names this week like ConsoleWarmovie.com (Whois) and TheConsoleWarmovie.com (Whois).

Could ‘Console War’ actually be a movie or just a creative marketing video promoting the Playstation 4?

What hints that this is more than just a video, is the names were all registered by Sony Pictures Entertainment, the television and film production/distribution unit of Sony.  The names weren’t registered by Sony Computer Entertainment, the video game company.

Either way, there doesn’t appear to be any news coming out of Sony on the subject, but Sony Pictures Entertainment has picked up well over a dozen names.

Each domain was registered on August 23, 2012, through the brand protection company MarkMonitor.

The full list includes:

console-war.net
console-warmovie.com
console-wars.net
console-warsmovie.com
consolewar-movie.com
consolewar-movie.net
consolewar.net
consolewarmovie.com
consolewars-movie.com
consolewars-movie.net
consolewarsmovie.com
theconsolewar-movie.com
theconsolewar-movie.net
theconsolewar.net
theconsolewarmovie.com
theconsolewars-movie.com
theconsolewars-movie.net
theconsolewarsmovie.com

At the time of this story, none of the domains resolve to a web page.

Talking about this story: Kotaku, Screen Rant, Collider.com, /Film, G4tv, Digital Spy, IGN, Tapscape, Game Informer, GameZone, Push Square, gamona.de, games.on.net, NU.nl, I Am Rogue.com, 411mania.com, WorstPreviews.com, The Escapist, OnlineWelten.com, Side Mission (blog), Techzine, Spong, JoystiqLe Journal du Geek and VG247

(Image of Playstation 4 concept by Tai Chiem)

Categories
Movies News Video Games

Lucasfilm secretly registers ‘Star Wars First Assault’ domain names

Star Wars First Assault

Lucasfilm, the parent company of LucasArts, appears to have another big project in the works, this one called “Star Wars First Assault” according to several domains the company secretly purchased this week.

On August 22, 2012, names like StarWarsFirstAssault.com (Whois) and StarWarsFA.com (Whois) were registered through the internet brand protection agency Corporation Service Company (CSC).  And you can bet Lucasfilm is the registrant behind the names, as they are a well known client of CSC, which protects many of the world’s most valuable brands.  CSC is the same registrar responsible for managing flagship names like StarWars.com (Whois).

The fact the names were all privately registered, indicates the company is trying to keep the project under wraps for now.

Here’s the full list:

starwarsfa.com
starwarsfa.net
starwarsfa.de
starwarsfa.co.uk
starwarsfirstassault.com
starwarsfirstassault.net
starwarsfirstassault.de
starwarsfirstassault.co.uk
swfirstassault.com
swfirstassault.net
swfirstassault.de
swfirstassault.co.uk

No trademark application has been filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office nor has the company announced anything about this project, so it’s unknown if it’s related to a video game, film, or some other Star Wars product.

The domains aren’t much help either.

At the time of this story, most of the names resolve to a blank web page.

Talking about this story: GameZone