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Blizzard prepares for 'Cataclysm'

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Jul 1, 2009 3:13 pm PT

World of Warcraft maker files trademark application for dramatic disaster term on everything from computer games to greeting cards.

It's safe to assume Blizzard has some big deals on its slate of unannounced projects, but new filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office suggest one of them is particularly dire. Game industry sleuthing site superannuation today unearthed a trio of Blizzard applications filed last Friday, each covering various uses of the word "Cataclysm."

One filing covers the use of the term as it relates to computer games and mouse pads. The second seeks to lock up the name for use in entertainment services (specifically online games), and the third covers a wide range of ancillary uses, including comics, strategy guides, coloring books, stickers, greeting cards, manuals, and art prints.

While the "Cataclysm"--a violent upheaval or tremendous flood--could fit within Blizzard's key franchises like Diablo or Warcraft, it could also be tied up with a fresh property. In May, the developer confirmed that its long-awaited massively multiplayer online role-playing game follow-up to World of Warcraft will be based on a new intellectual property.

While the trademark filings give away the fact that Blizzard has designs for the term, they do little else. It's not uncommon for trademarks to go unrealized, as was the case with previous filings like Activision's Guitar Villain or Blizzard's own Diablo II: Salvation.

When asked for comment, a Blizzard representative told GameSpot, "We appreciate the interest, but we don’t have any details to share at this time."

229 Comments

  • FF_fan2004

    Posted Aug 17, 2009 11:22 am PT

    Diablo II was hard enough, never managed to get past...Tal Rasha's tomb boss. Diablo III looks good. I just hope I can be a necromancer again.

  • inalusi

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 1:35 pm PT

    This is for jweed. Why you need to share your life?first i dont care and second if you have good or bad ,smart or dumb girlfriend is not me problem and i dont care +if you play WOW you are addicted less or more dont lie nerdy )

  • dg3215

    Posted Jul 29, 2009 5:30 pm PT

    If it (cataclysm) is like any of blizzard's other games they will announce it and then take forever to release it, but it will be freakin awesome when it is out. Although I dont do mmo games anymore, because i just dont have the time to invest into one video game. @jweed you know you don't have a girlfriend unless you are talking about the female one you made on wow and that does not count

  • jweed posted Jul 27, 2009 10:50 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    jweed

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 10:50 pm PT (hide)

    its funny cuz i play wow and love it but i guess im not as addicted as these nerds hating on it considering i have a good job and a hot girlfriend and she knows i play but i dont let it consume my life so for all of you. LOLZ

  • Kenuty

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 7:57 am PT

    @nickanguiano, You took the words from my mouth, its the same things I have been saying after I quit. Never again on mmos its such a waste of time and I miss out on other games. Which I now play and do reviews on other than that can't wait for starcraft and diablo 3 though

  • Ca_shadow

    Posted Jul 16, 2009 1:47 pm PT

    @ NickAnguiano Similar thing happened to me. I'll never waste my hard earned money on an MMO again. Cant believe I played for so long.

  • NickAnguiano

    Posted Jul 15, 2009 7:28 pm PT

    WoW was very fun and addicting and I played it for 4 long years before quiting. Do I regret playing it though? Yes, very much so. Rather than sitting on my ass playing WoW for all that time I coulda been focusing on things that actually mattered in my life. I don't care if a new MMO comes out that's the greatest thing and gets 100 million subscribers and everyone says "YOU ARE AN IDIOT IF YOU DON'T TRY THIS GAME!" I will never get sucked into another MMO again. Take it from someone who's learned their lesson kids, it's REALLY not worth it lol.

  • mightycloud

    Posted Jul 9, 2009 5:14 pm PT

    dg3215

    Posted Jul 10, 2009 12:38 am GMT "This has been going on for years.. Pat Riley has a trade mark on the word threepeat, all it means is that you cannot market the word to make money without paying them a royalty.. calm down"

    That's not the point. It's not like it's a word no-one is going to use like "threepeat". my reasoning is that if they can do it with one word, what's stopping them from trademarking other RPG/fantasy staple words so that other companies and writers can't use them (i.e broadsword, necromancer, or goblin). It's not just games they want the rights for, they want comics, manuals and even colouring books! Colouring Books! because they're a massive money spinner when they target the 3-8 year olds that probably don't even play WoW. (n.b: sarcasm is hard to convey in text)

  • dg3215

    Posted Jul 9, 2009 4:38 pm PT

    mightycloud Posted Jul 7, 2009 10:45 pm GMT Does it not worry anyone else that they're trying to trademark a word? If activision had it their way we'd all have to pay royalties whenever we said the words "Warcraft" or "Guitar Hero". They're not talking about TM'ing an IP, they want exclusive use of a WORD across the board!

    This has been going on for years.. Pat Riley has a trade mark on the word threepeat, all it means is that you cannot market the word to make money without paying them a royalty.. calm down

  • Plucking

    Posted Jul 8, 2009 2:04 pm PT

    one of the only big fantasy genres left that would be fitting for a mmo is post appocalypse... cataclysm kind of fits

  • Spikedjester

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 3:38 pm PT

    dannyatkinson Posted Jul 3, 2009 4:26 pm GMT Blizzard is headed for a Cataclysm all right with no LAN for Starcraft 2 ???? Did they just suddenly get stupid.
    Did no one pay attention to what happened to EA.
    Idiots.

    lol so true, and i forgot this point for the last day. Haha thanks for the reminder! Down with blizzard.

  • mightycloud

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 2:45 pm PT

    Does it not worry anyone else that they're trying to trademark a word? If activision had it their way we'd all have to pay royalties whenever we said the words "Warcraft" or "Guitar Hero". They're not talking about TM'ing an IP, they want exclusive use of a WORD across the board!

  • burn6

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 10:23 pm PT

    maybe it is a rift from the world of warcraft. when you go in, you will find yourself immersed in the world of starcraft where terrans and zerglings are everywhere and just when you thought you have seen it all the protoss will sneak from your behind then whoa, a mothership of carriers will swarm on your screen and scrape the sh*t out of you. hence cataclysm XD.

  • fubbal

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 6:44 pm PT

    Wow this gives me nightmares.I'm not joking either world of war craft was fun for a bit until I realised that everything in the game takes way more time and effort than it should just so you go cash in another game card.If this is yet another MMO,and one like wow count me out. Now I know people will say i'm mising out and I say to those you are missing out on real life.

  • Scullyy

    Posted Jul 5, 2009 3:43 pm PT

    they wouldn't lie about it being a new ip. that's just stupid.

  • Epicurus-Reborn

    Posted Jul 4, 2009 3:08 pm PT

    i think thats way too vague of a report to make any proper speculation on.

  • adecoy95

    Posted Jul 4, 2009 8:01 am PT

    oh crap, they are going to go all rifts on us, a starcraft/diablo/warcraft/rock and roll racing hybrid that will shock and amaze

  • SpareJesus

    Posted Jul 4, 2009 4:12 am PT

    http://www.wowwiki.com/Great_Sundering

    Being that the Cataclysm is actually an event that happened in Warcraft history resulting in the Maelstrom (when the entire continent of Kalimdor was ripped apart, creating the four continents of EK, Northrend, Kalimdor and Kezan), I'm willing to bet that this is simply a move to cover strategy guides, mousepads, and the name, ready for the next expansion. Not anything to do with the new IP/MMO, or whatever.

  • zunit88

    Posted Jul 3, 2009 3:03 pm PT

    i dont know what blizzard is tryin to do but am sure they know what they are doing so am not mad

  • tony2077ca

    Posted Jul 3, 2009 2:28 pm PT

    ghost canceled i thought it was only put on hold

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