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GoldenEye, Assassin's Creed, Driver, Bloodstone URLs reg'd

Activision locks down Web addresses for two potential James Bond games; Ubisoft registers domains, which may hint at titles for spin-offs, sequels of stealth-action, driving franchises.

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Game companies occasionally register domain names (see playstationarc.com) that don't end up being the final title of a product (see the PlayStation Move). However, oftentimes when a company locks down a URL, it points to the moniker of a new game or device.

It's unlikely that this GoldenEye will get a rework….
It's unlikely that this GoldenEye will get a rework….

With that caveat in mind, it's unclear what to make of four nonfunctioning URLs dug up by Web-info-trawler Superannuation. The first two come from Activision, and both pertain to the James Bond license it acquired in 2006. The publisher has locked down the Web address bloodstonegame.com, apparently the title of a 007-branded driving game that popped up on British retailer HMV earlier this week.

The second, goldeneyegame.com, is likely to arouse much more interest amongst gamers. That's because it bears the name of Rare's N64 1997 game based on the 1995 film GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan's first outing as the martini-swilling agent. Unfortunately, it's also the title of a lackluster 2004 game from former James Bond license-holder EA, in which players assumed the role of a James Bond villain named GoldenEye. What Activision has in store for these URLs is unclear, as Activision reps gave a polite "no comment" when asked about them.

Superannuation also noticed that Ubisoft locked down the (currently dead) URL assassinscreedbrotherhood.com on April 14, 2010. Though the publisher hadn't responded to requests for comment, the name evokes a group of assassins versus the solo hero of the first two games.

Though Ubisoft had not commented on the URL, the company did announce in January that it was readying an Assassin's Creed II "episode," which would add online multiplayer and new single-player content to the 8-million-unit game.

…and it's preferable this one doesn't.
…and it's preferable this one doesn't.

Finally, Ubisoft has also registered the domain name driversanfranciscogame.com, which may--or may not--hint at a reboot of the driving series. The company picked up the venerable license from fellow French publisher Atari in 2006 and subsequently published the poorly reviewed Driver: Parallel Lines.

In 2008, evidence surfaced that the company was working on an all-new entry in the series for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. However a 2009 US Patent & Trademark Office filing indicated pointed toward the title "Driver: The Recruit." According to an Ubisoft financial report, the next Driver game is due out sometime before March 2011.

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