It takes one to create a messy situation
Hazelight, the developer of co-op adventure game It Takes Two, is facing a trademark claim from Take-Two. Eurogamer reports that the game was the target of a trademark claim from Take-Two, and has had to abandon its trademark.
Records show Hazelight’s abandonment of the It Takes Two trademark. It was reportedly struck with a claim earlier this year when it launched, and has since had to let the trademark go.
A spokesperson for Hazelight told Eurogamer that the studio cannot comment on ongoing disputes, but the team remains “hopeful it will be resolved.” The studio didn’t comment on how this has affected its ability to market It Takes Two, or how it affects any plans to rename the game or any potential sequels.
We reached out to Take-Two, but they declined to comment on the matter.
Take-Two has recently been going after a number of disputes. So, at least It Takes Two has company. The co-op marriage repair simulator has otherwise been having a good year, too. It was well-received on release and is even up for the Game of the Year award at next week’s Game Awards. Josef Fares and the team at Hazelight previously worked on the co-op prison escape A Way Out, so the team has really cemented its place in the co-op pantheon at this point.
Hopefully this trademark dispute with Take-Two is a blip in the pan for Hazelight. Though I’d expect their next game won’t contain any words or phrases like Rock, Star, Pain, Max, or anything of that nature. Lawyer Richard Hoeg did a tweet thread on the matter and Take-Two’s broader copyright claims, saying he suspects that Hazelight will rely on copyright moving forward.
