Monolith asks fans to name their F.E.A.R.

Monolith Productions doesn't own the rights to the name of its 2005 paranormal first-person shooter F.E.A.R., but that didn't stop it from announcing a sequel to the game more than a year ago. The studio and parent company Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment face a dilemma now, as their game will build off of the story and characters of the original, but will not be able to bear the F.E.A.R. name.

To resolve the issue, Monolith is turning to its fan base with the "Name Your F.E.A.R." contest, an open solicitation to gamers to come up with the title for the in-development sequel. The studio set up a Web site for the contest and will be accepting submissions through June 22. Three finalists will win a trip to meet the developers and get their names and likenesses in the game, while visitors to the Web site will vote on their submissions, with the winning entry possibly becoming the game's final name.

To assist applicants in the brainstorming process, Monolith gives a number of tips and suggestions on the site. The studio wants a memorable name that will evoke specific images and associations, such as "frenetic action," "horror (Asian)," "apocalypse," and "gore." As far as what it doesn't want, applicants are discouraged from using acronyms, obscenities, or titles that means something in a different language.

If the winning submission becomes the title of the game, Warner and Monolith will give the creator credit for inspiring the name in the game, but they offer no additional compensation for any submissions.

Monolith's F.E.A.R.-less sequel is being developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.