Atari - Planning to Revisit NWN, Baldur's Gate

Originally Posted by Corwin
Ah, DR-DOS, now that was a fun OS. Much preferred it to anything M$ had available at the time!!

Yes, I remember. I even used Novell DOS 7.

This OS was far ahead of any MS-based DOS.

Originally Posted by Lucky Day
once again, I seem to recall when OE left BIS and formed their own company they managed to finagle the rights for IWD to take with them.

Afaik not true. It was mentioned in a Interplay 8-k this year that they transfered the name rights for Icewind Dale to Atari. An online check on the internet db for namerights showed the same result. Icewind Dale is registered to Atari since june or july.

The even more interesting thing is, that Baldur's Gate is registered to BioWare.

He said "we are working on some of these, I'm not going to tell you which". The list of brands was baldurs gate, nwn, backyward sports, dungeons and dragons, test drive unlimited, v-rally.

Originally Posted by Avantenor
The even more interesting thing is, that Baldur's Gate is registered to BioWare.

Really? That's very interesting… hm.

Word Mark BALDUR'S GATE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Computer game software. FIRST USE: 19980100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19981200

IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Paper goods, namely, computer game instruction manuals, comic books, strategy guides for playing computer games, trading cards, adhesive stickers. FIRST USE: 19980100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19981200

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games. FIRST USE: 19980100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19981200
Mark Drawing Code (5) WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED FORM
Serial Number 76678911
Filing Date June 29, 2007
Published for Opposition December 4, 2007
Registration Number 3433749
Registration Date May 27, 2008
Owner (REGISTRANT) BioWare Corp. CORPORATION CANADA 4445 Calgary Trail, Suite 200 Edmonton, Alberta T6H 5R7 CANADA
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

=

Word Mark BALDUR'S GATE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Computer game software. FIRST USE: 19980100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19981200

IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Paper goods, namely, computer game instruction manuals, comic books, strategy guides for playing computer games, trading cards, adhesive stickers. FIRST USE: 19980100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19981200

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games. FIRST USE: 19980100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19981200
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 76678910
Filing Date June 29, 2007
Published for Opposition December 4, 2007
Registration Number 3433748
Registration Date May 27, 2008
Owner (REGISTRANT) BioWare Corp. CORPORATION CANADA 4445 Calgary Trail, Suite 200 Edmonton, Alberta T6H 5R7 CANADA

=

Word Mark ICEWIND DALE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Electronic, video and multimedia game software for use on personal computers and electronic game playing machines; recorded computer game software programs; video game machines for use with television receivers; downloadable video game software; and magnetic, optical and numerical computer game programs
Standard Characters Claimed
Serial Number 77380064
Filing Date January 24, 2008
Published for Opposition June 10, 2008
Owner (APPLICANT) Atari Interactive, Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 417 Fifth
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

=

Word Mark BALDUR'S GATE DARK ALLIANCE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Computer programs for video games and computer games and instruction manuals sold as a unit with the games, and computer programs for video games and computer games which may be downloaded from a global computer network. FIRST USE: 20010101. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20010101
Serial Number 77358969
Filing Date December 24, 2007
Owner (APPLICANT) INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT CORP CORPORATION
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

per USPTO.gov, extraneous info deleted.

The Icewind Dale one is probably most interesting, as it is new registered, and by Atari. The BGDA one will be transferred to Atari as well. While Bioware holds the BG trademark registration, it's unlikely that this would prevent any future games and would likely not stand a challenge as on the game boxes Baldur's Gate is TM Wizards of the Coast and there is the preexisting BG DA as well.

Caveat: IANAL

l'm all up for some sequels.

"BG3: Return to Candlekeep" = ]

Update:

Word Mark BALDUR'S GATE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Computer game software. FIRST USE: 19980100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19981200

Filing Date June 29, 2007
Published for Opposition December 4, 2007
Registration Number 3433749
Registration Date May 27, 2008
Owner (REGISTRANT) BioWare Corp. CORPORATION CANADA 4445 Calgary Trail, Suite 200 Edmonton, Alberta T6H 5R7 CANADA

(LAST LISTED OWNER) WIZARDS OF THE COAST LLC CORPORATION DELAWARE 1027 NEWPORT AVENUE PAWTUCKET RHODE ISLAND 02862
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record James R. Meyer
Description of Mark Color is not claimed as a feature of the mark.
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

Note italic = change of ownership…

Also, Interplay's registration of BG: DA has now lapsed.

A remake would be quite dangerous for BG1 or BG2 and a sequel I don't see the point, the sequel is already NWN1&2.

But a remake of some other older CRPG could interest me much more.

Originally Posted by Thaurin
Oh, *excellent*!! I would love to see them do an Icewind Dale makeover like was done with the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance games. I think the original Icewind Dale gameplay comes closer to that action RPG approach in the first place. This would be a great idea, but I fear it will never happen.

Please tell me you're just being sarcastic. BG: Dark Alliance was terrible imo.

Originally Posted by Dasale
A remake would be quite dangerous for BG1 or BG2 and a sequel I don't see the point, the sequel is already NWN1&2.

I'd prefer that Atari didn't touch Baldur's Gate with a ten foot pole. I'm 99% sure they would just screw it up.

Dark Alliance was a good game, if you take it as what it is: A console Action-RPG. DA and it's derivates have been the best H&S RPGs for the PS2.

Originally Posted by Avantenor
Dark Alliance was a good game, if you take it as what it is: A console Action-RPG. DA and it's derivates have been the best H&S RPGs for the PS2.

I was probably being a little harsh due to the fact that it used the "Baldur's Gate" namesake. I remember renting it for a weekend because of the title, and then being incredibly disappointed to find out that is was more like a Diablo clone than BG.

An Dark Alliance kind of game would very much fit into the action RPG genre, which is quite popular, as it seems to me.

Not only would this be an action game (relatively few risks, especially if well made, with relatively high profits of successful), but also it would contain a strong name (BG label).

I'd see this as very tempting.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I was probably being a little harsh due to the fact that it used the "Baldur's Gate" namesake. I remember renting it for a weekend because of the title, and then being incredibly disappointed to find out that is was more like a Diablo clone than BG.

That was exactly my same situation. I fired it up, and didn't last long (think I played it a couple of hours and never again)

Have to say BGA is one of the best games I have on the Gamecube. Really good old (gauntlet)-style multi-player mayhem. I was very disappointed the sequel didn't come out on the system.