The United States Patent and Trademark Office has revealed an eyebrow-raising new trademark, which has been filed by none other than Square Enix Holdings. The trademark in question is for the name SQUARE, a name that resonates closely with millions of people who played games in ages past.
The trademark of SQUARE was filed this week, and the goods and services section indicates that the entity will exist to sell products ranging from video game software provided both digitally and physically, to magazines and card games. It sounds eerily similar to Square Enix, a company that has struggled to gain a positive image since its creation in early 2003, and since the trademark was filed by that very company, speculation is in order.
Prior to the merge with Enix back in 2003, Square, or Squaresoft as many know it, was a company that churned out some of the most captivating games in history such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, and Xenogears. The failure of the multi-million dollar Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within film left the company in shambles, eventually causing executives to wave the white flag to its largest competitor in Japan, Enix. Since the union, the company hasn’t been nearly as successful, and many blame the merge for the decline of both Final Fantasy and RPGs in general.
This trademark points directly at an attempt to re-brand the company, perhaps to identify the entity with the success of past. Looking for a new imagine isn’t anything new, either, and one of the most recent examples was Sony releasing the PS3 slim along with new software box art. However, it’s hard to imagine Enix going along with such a strong move, but if its enough for the company to steer away from the recent decline of 62% in profits, then it’s probably a smart move.
What do you think Square Enix intends to do with the new SQUARE trademark? Share your speculation in the comments below.
