This isn’t really huge gaming news, but I thought that it could perhaps promote some good discussion in the comment section. According to
Siliconera,
Nintendo has applied for and successfully obtained the trademark rights to “Amaterasu” in Japan as it is used in video games. The name itself is actually a part of Japanese lore and represents the Shinto sun goddess, but it has been used in some major video game titles in recent years including Capcom’s Okami.
Capcom’s Amaterasu character is actually being used again this year in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Seeing as Capcom is utilizing the character in one of their biggest games of the years gives hint that they have intent on keeping their Amaterasu character active in the gaming world... will Nintendo’s move to secure the rights to the name have any effect on their current and perhaps future plans? Trademark and copyright issues are never as clear cut as you hope they would be; I can imagine this being something that we will here more about in the future. Nintendo has not announced any specific plans for the name, but the move to copyright it clearly indicates that something is in the pipeline.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes more of a story down the line...
