Hazelight Studios has been at the forefront of simultaneous cooperative titles since 2014. As Josef Fares heads the video game studio, the company first saw notoriety thanks to A Way Out. With his fiery presence at The Game Awards in 2017 even being hidden in It Takes Two, the title is seeing somewhat of an external crisis. With so many pending litigations coming out from Take-Two Interactive, Hazelight Studios is just the next one in their crosshairs. While it’s unknown how this will affect the marketing and branding going forward; a name change is unnecessary. Announced today via a claim sent to Hazelight Studios, Take-Two Interactive’s copyright is making sure It Takes Two cannot be a protected trademark as it infringes with their companies name.
The trademark conflict means that Hazelight can’t protect the name, not that they will be forced to change it. They could change it if they want to protect the name, but honestly, it’s probably not worth it to them to do that.
— Mike Futter 🔜 GDC, PAX East (@Futterish) December 3, 2021
What Does This Mean for It Takes Two and Hazelight Studios?
Now depending on how you feel about trademark law, some might see this as a valid step in moving forward. Protecting the company name for Take-Two Interactive is important. It just so happens that It Takes Two shares the same moniker as the company. No matter how Hazelight Studios feels about the matter, this is not the same as an actual court filing. One case where this might come into play is if Take-Two Interactive ever uses their name in a company slogan or a motto. Hazelight has already officiated the abandonment notice to the It Takes Two trademark. While it’s not news that Take-Two Interactive has been litigating many brands, Hazelight Studios seems to just be the latest. While these copyright protection attacks haven’t been slowing down, Hazelight Studios surely won’t be the last.
So what do you think of Take-Two Interactive shutting the It Takes Two copyright down? Do you think it was fair of Take-Two to do? Let us know in the comments down below!
