EA files System Shock trademark

Beloved series' developer may have moved on, but its publisher might still have designs on the franchise.

Take-Two may have locked down the rights to the spiritual successor of System Shock, but Electronic Arts is making sure the original franchise stays put.

Electronic Arts registered a trademark last month on the title "System Shock" for use in video games. Interestingly enough, it also made note that the trademark was to apply to "a computer game that may be accessed network-wide by network users," or "an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices."

An EA representative was not immediately available for comment as to whether the trademark was a sign that the dormant franchise would soon be awoken, or if it was just a bit of routine upkeep of the company's intellectual property.

The System Shock name has been in the news a bit lately as Irrational Games, developer of the classic System Shock 2, was purchased by Take-Two Interactive, which recently registered a trademark for BioShock, Irrational's "spiritual successor" to the System Shock franchise.

Stay tuned to GameSpot for more on BioShock and any future System Shock titles as details become available.

26 Comments

  • TehEliteElite

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 1:25 pm PT

    *flames EA too*

  • CJKID14

    Posted Jan 28, 2009 6:09 pm PT

    Let's hope that monolith buys the rights to the shock series, so we don't see another disappointment with EA.

    YOU SUCK EA! DRM IS COMPLETELY USELESS! (continues to flame EA)

  • sgt-hawkins

    Posted Sep 22, 2008 10:56 am PT

    monolith could do this if they would just get the atmosphere like the way they did in condemned then thise would be an intense game

  • Quemaqua

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 10:31 am PT

    Screw EA. I wouldn't buy a System Shock 3 without the involvement of Irrational if you paid me.

  • Humorguy_basic

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 9:28 am PT

    If you want to play System Shock 1 on your XP machine in 1024x758 ( ! ), then go to this page and follow the instructions - I did and am now having the time of my life with the first System Shock!!!

    http://www.strangebedfellows.de/index.php/topic,211.0.html

  • Humorguy_basic

    Posted Aug 16, 2007 6:51 pm PT

    EA owns System Shock name?! I am Shocked and my System will not cope with this news!

  • hacer

    Posted Sep 27, 2006 2:51 pm PT

    SYSTEM SHOCK 3 sound great, but without EA Games Logo. Only the chosen one can deal with this title. One developer studio that could do it, is Monolith. I don't need another dissapointment from EA.

  • hacer

    Posted Sep 27, 2006 2:46 pm PT

    I hope someone else take care of making new SShock. NO EA PLEASE!!! First somoeone should deserve to deal with such a great title. SYSTEM SCHOCK 3 sound excelent but without EA logo.

  • MrPsycohed

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 10:14 am PT

    Just so long as they don't do to System Shock what VU did to Baldur's Gate . . .

  • RobertBowen

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 8:23 am PT

    The problem here is that the people with the 'vision' behind System Shock 2 (Irrational Games) would not be developing such a game through EA. Irrational is concentrating on a 'spiritual successor' to SS2 in the form of BioShock - which means they have people who have the vision to make a game in the same vein. EA would simply give the project to someone and say 'make us a System Shock 3', when those people simply don't have the vision or understanding of what made the game tick. Basically, you can't make a great game if your heart isn't in it. The only reason they would make an SS3 is purely to cash in on the franchise, and I doubt they could recapture the essence of the previous games.

  • mike2060

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 6:51 am PT

    I hate EA because they make such piss poor games even though they're such a huge company with tons of money.

  • dryden555

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 6:06 am PT

    EA will of course make an too-easy action game for kids out of this, if they make anything at all. Almost guarranteed to be disappointing. Wont be a deep PC RPG.

  • mwewerka

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 5:36 am PT

    You can't compare EA to MS. Even as a Mac fan I have defend MS, you don't hear MS just coming in and buying a company when they publish just one game of their's just so they can own every small studio that makes something valuable. If MS didn't buy the 20% stock in Apple and help them out in the early 90's Apple would have fell, after they sustained themselves, MS sold off the stock and moved on...They also haven't brought Bizarre Creations (PGR) who makes amazing games...face it EA is greedy and wants total domination. If they can't have System Shock's creator, then they aren't getting the name. That's BS!

  • LordOfMidnight

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 3:33 am PT

    If nothing has been done with the franchise by now I find it hard to believe that a new game will see the light of day.

  • HeyzeusNYC

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 9:49 pm PT

    This sort of reminds me of NFL contract license deal for the next couple of years... THANKS EA YOU RUINED MY ESPN 2K GAMES ... bastards

  • forever_blank

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:39 pm PT

    OMG, The Shock!

  • bklapmeyer

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:30 pm PT

    EA is not Microsoft - EA has only about 20-25% share in gaming; Microsoft is easily over 80% in OS. Not a fair comparison. Plus EA does make some good games or else they wouldn't have that share - so lets be fair. Granted EA disappoints from time to time, but that can be said for most developers.

  • radiocreed

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:53 pm PT

    EA in the gaming industry is what Microsoft is in the OS world.

  • Kwiksilva

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:41 pm PT

    Doesn't surprise me EA is tryin to snatch everything up.

  • cqdemal

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:47 pm PT

    System Shock Online?

    Oh no. Where would the horror element go then?

    Hope BioShock turns out great....

  • Davis4ever3

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:36 pm PT

    EA is just living up to it's 'Ruled my Machines, not men' moniker. You see, Electronic Arts only thinks about the capitalist ideals of: money over everything, and if I can't beat you, I'll buy you.... These are the new ideals in an industry that is fast becoming more about corporate politics, than about personal entertainment. Welcome to the Fourth Reich.

  • Mp5slipknot

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:31 pm PT

    So long as they don't disgrace the series I'm not to mad.

  • helluvagood

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:08 pm PT

    kool

  • Donkeljohn Site moderator

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:35 pm PT

    EA makes calculated moves to ensure market leadership. This is no different.

  • SystemShock2

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:32 pm PT

    well, i think bioshock could turn out to be awesome, especially if the same people who worked on system shock 2 are working on it. EA is probably gonna screw something up with the franchise though and make something really stupid out of it.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:27 pm PT

    Ugh, not EA again... oh well, let's hope they keep the great franchise intact.

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