Update: Remedy has addressed the situation around reports of a trademark dispute between it and Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive over its “R” logo, telling VGC that things were already resolved last year and that the filings from Take-Two were “an initial formality” that is no longer applicable.
“There is nothing to see here,” the studio said in a statement to VGC. “This was a discussion between our teams that was resolved entirely and amicably late last year.
“Unfortunately, it took a little longer to complete than we had hoped due to some holiday scheduling. The legal filing was simply an initial formality, and Remedy and Take-Two continue to work together in partnership.”
Respawn First has reported that Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Rockstar Games, and Alan Wake 2 developer Remedy Entertainment are currently in a trademark dispute over Remedy’s recently-updated logo.
The dispute has been filed against Remedy’s trademark applications in the UK, with Take-Two saying that the solo “R” used in the new Remedy logo (sometimes but not always accompanied by the word Remedy) is too similar to the iconic Rockstar “R” that anyone who’s played a Grand Theft Auto game will immediately recognise.
Remedy had originally revealed its new logo back in April last year, although strangely enough reportedly didn’t file trademarks for it in the US and UK until after the fact in May. At the time it had said, “The bullet in the letter R in the old logo represented the era of Max Payne, but the Remedy of now is much bigger than a single game; we have a whole portfolio of games, new and old.
“It was time to update and redefine our visual identity to bring more consistency, showcase our evolution over the years, and better express our vision of today’s Remedy.”
Remedy Entertainment and Take Two Interactive are in a trademark dispute over Remedy's logo.
Disputed Logo 1: https://t.co/wY29pyReIv
Disputed Logo 2: https://t.co/oOlzd47usG pic.twitter.com/FuIMLRtBdj
— Jake (@usemyhandle) January 15, 2024
It’s certainly an interesting development. Take-Two is no stranger to these things, having shut down developer Hazelight’s application to trademark the title of its 2021 banger, It Takes Two. What’s curious this time around is that both companies in this latest dispute are in the midst of working together on remaking the original two Max Payne games, with Rockstar holding the rights to the games but supporting and even bankrolling Remedy in remaking them.
