Tag: Playstation 4

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Featured News Video Games

Sony spends a few thousand dollars for TaketheOath.com as PS4 launch date nears [UPDATED]

PlayStation 4

PlayStation 4

In a little less than 2 weeks on November 15, Sony will launch the PlayStation 4 (PS4) in North America.

Despite everything that’s going on at the company, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC for some reason acquired the domain name TakeTheOath.com.

According to WHOIS records, the name switched hands this week from its previous owner to Sony.

It’s anyone’s guess what “Take the Oath” will be.  At the time of this story, there is no website present at taketheoath.com.

In early October, TakeTheOath.com had been listed for sale for $2,988 through Rare Names (aka BuyDomains).

TakeTheOath.com domain for sale

“Take the Oath” could be for anything like marketing of an upcoming Sony video game, but for now, it’s all just speculation.

On a separate but related note, Sony has been adding more names to its portfolio lately, but one name still noticeably missing is PlayStation4.com.  In July 2013, Microsoft became the first company to secure the matching dotcom domain of its next-generation video game console.

Currently, Playstation4.com re-directs visitors to a video game website that covers PlayStation news.  The name is still not owned by Sony according to WHOIS records.

UPDATE 1:. The Take The Oath website is now live at http://playstation.taketheoath.com/.  The website is being used to market Killzone Shadow Fall.  A message on the website says, “What will you sacrifice for peace? On 11/15/13 find out for yourself. Take the Shadow Marshal oath and, using the PS4™ share button, create your very own custom gameplay trailer. Like Killzone Shadow Fall on Facebook to be notified when you can Take the Oath.”  You can watch the trailer below.

Talking about this story: PlayStation LifeStyle and GameSpot

(Image via playstation.com)

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Featured News Video Games

Ubisoft’s new next-gen IP may be called “Fighter Within”, domains registered [UPDATED]

Fighter Within

Ubisoft: Fighter Within

Video game company Ubisoft appears to be up to something.

Judging by changes to some domain names, the company looks to have registered Fighter-Within.com earlier this week and also secretly registered the name FighterWithinGame.com back in June.  Both names were registered using Go Daddy’s proxy service.

While the proxy service makes the true registrant of the names unknown, both names redirect users to a “Coming Soon” page on ubi.com: http://fighter-within.ubi.com/fighter-within/en-US/

No official announcement has been made by Ubisoft regarding “Fighter Within”, however, Ubisoft recently said it would “share details on a new next-gen IP currently in development” at the upcoming Gamescom which takes place August 21-25.

With less than a week until Gamescom, we should know soon what plans are in store for “Fighter Within”.

UPDATE 1 August 18, 2013: More information has been revealed about “Fighter Within”.  A snapshot of the official website (before it was taken down by Ubisoft) was stored on Google Cache.

Talking about this story: VG247, GameZone, GameSpot, Computerandvideogames.com, Examiner.com, NeoGAF, Playstation LifeStyle, Polygon, Videogamer.com, Eurogamer.it, Game Informer, Jeuxvideo.com, Gameblog, Gamereactor Italia, Multiplayer.it, Gamed and IGN

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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, Joystiq, Le Journal du Geek and VG247

(Image of Playstation 4 concept by Tai Chiem)

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News Video Games

Xbox720.com owner redirects domain to US PlayStation 3 website [UPDATED]

Xbox 720

Xbox 720

Update 2 on Feb. 24 at 8:16pm Est: Jeremiah Germany has commented on the story by e-mail.  Jeremiah wrote, “Yes, I still do own the domain.  I switched to namecheap after the godaddy SOPA fiasco, which came with free Whois Privacy.  Yesterday I was testing the redirect with namecheap.  Apparently more than my friends saw the joke; it doesn’t get a lot of hits. I believe you asked me earlier, No, Microsoft hasn’t approached me.”

Update 1 on Feb. 23 at 2:52pm Est: Xbox720.com has stopped forwarding to the US Playstation 3 site.  The web address now sends visitors to a different site operated by Jeremiah Germany (the apparent owner of Xbox720.com), in an obvious ploy to get attention for his site.   Jeremiah has not responded to a request for comment.  I e-mailed Jeremiah earlier today when this story was first posted.

Original story on Feb. 23 at 3:27am Est: It appears the owner of the domain Xbox720.com is none too happy with Microsoft or simply playing an online joke.

As of today, type the web address into your browser and you’ll be redirected to the US PlayStation 3 site (us.playstation.com/ps3).

It’s unknown what prompted the change.  Previously, the domain was monetized using the Google Adsense for Domains program, which Google announced only yesterday would be shut down by mid-April.

Last year we saw a similar case of a web address being redirected to a rival’s site with ModernWarfare3.com, when the disgruntled owner of the domain name sent visitors to the official website of Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 3, Activision’s competitor.  The redirect of ModernWarfare3.com was short-lived as Activision moved swiftly to get the domain name by filing a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum.

As I wrote about in November, neither Sony, Nintendo, nor Microsoft own the domains for their next consoles.

Xbox720.com was registered to a Jeremiah Germany of New York as late as November 2011, but the contact information became protected after going into Whois Privacy in December.

Since first being registered, Xbox720.com has been host to a number of different sites ranging from a Les Paul guitars site in 2006 to a Google Custom Search page in 2008.   In 2009 the site began earning money using Google Adsense for Domains.

I’ve reached out to the most recent owner on record for more information, and will update this story if I hear back.

I’d imagine the redirect will not last long.

Discussion: N4G, Joystiq, Gameranx, Myona News and Bölüm Sonu Canavarı

(Image of Xbox 720 concept by ~djeric on deviantART)

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Disputes National Arbitration Forum News Trademarks Video Games WIPO

Neither Sony, Nintendo, nor Microsoft own the domains for their next consoles

xbox 720

The console wars are heating up, but there’s just one problem: the three major companies don’t own the matching domains to their next-generation consoles.

Nintendo doesn’t own WiiU.com, Sony doesn’t own Playstation4.com, and Microsoft doesn’t own Xbox720.com.

Will the companies submit a domain dispute, file an anti-cybersquatting lawsuit, or pay a large sum of cash to get the domains?  Well, it’s unknown whether Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo are considering any of these options, but what is known is that owning the domain names couldn’t their hurt online marketing efforts as the console wars heat up.

That being said, how are the domain names being used today?

Today, Playstation4.com re-directs to PSX Extreme, a video game website that has been covering Sony Playstation news for years.  PSXExtreme.com and Playstation4.com are both owned by Poise Media Inc., according to WHOIS records.  The domain was first registered in 1998, but Poise Media didn’t acquire the name until late 2008.

Xbox720.com is registered to a Jeremiah Germany of New York, who monetizes the domain using Google Adsense for Domains.  Over the years, the domain has been host to a number of different sites ranging from a Les Paul guitars site in 2006 to a Google Custom Search page in 2008.  However, since 2009 it appears the owner of Xbox720.com has been earning money using Google Adsense for Domains.

The owner of WiiU.com, who remains hidden behind WHOIS privacy, has the site set up as a Shopping.com affiliate web page.  I wrote about WiiU.com back in June, after Nintendo announced the console at E3 without owning the domain.  In August, Nintendo filed nearly 20 trademark applications (several including images) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the word Wii U.

All three console companies have used a variety of methods in the past to reclaim trademarked names, and in recent years, they have often filed complaints under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). 

In nearly all the complaints, the domain names have been ordered transferred.  So given the track record to date, it’s likely when the trademark lawyers finally get around to going after these domains, they’ll use the UDRP.

Recently, Nintendo gained the rights to SuperMario.com, over 25 years since it had released Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.  The company filed a complaint with WIPO which it won in late September. 

Microsoft has filed and won dozens of Xbox-related domain disputes going back to 2003.

And though Sony Computer Entertainment has only filed a handful of disputes, it has won all 4 that it did submit.  Those cases involved: playstationx.com, sonyplaystation2.com, sonyps2.com, psone.com, pspcn.com,  and pspmovie.net.

Sometimes, however when companies want a domain and don’t want to risk losing a dispute or are impatient for the time it takes time for proceedings to complete, they will pay cash — as Microsoft likely did with Halo4.com.

I’ve reached out to the owner of each domain name to see if they’ve been contacted by the respective console company, and will update this post if I hear back.

(Concept design of Microsoft’s next-generation console ‘Xbox 720’ by Tai Chiem)