Folks over at TechRaptor seem to have uncovered the reason, or at least part of the reason, Ubisoft renamed Gods & Monsters to Immortals: Fenyx Rising. The US Patent and Trademark Office website contains a series of documents that reveal a legal spat between Ubisoft and Monster Beverage over the use of Gods & Monsters.
It’s a weird thing for Monster to fight Ubisoft over, and it’s unlikely that it’ll win, but legal battles can be lengthy and perhaps Ubisoft felt that it was safer to avoid delaying the game over something this silly.
“Opposer will be damaged by registration of the Applications in that Applicant’s Mark so resembles Opposer’s MONSTER Marks, including as registered in the PTO [Patent and Trademark Office], and in which Opposer owns common law trademark rights, as to be likely, when used on or in connection with Applicant’s goods and services, as to cause confusion, or to cause mistake or to deceive,” reads an argument by Monster.
Ubisoft denied all the allegations, of course. Interestingly, the developer went a step further and argued that it “denies Opposer’s alleged marks are famous.”
It seems that both parties did attempt to settle the dispute twice. It’s unclear if those settlement talks bore fruit, but for now, the game’s title itself is no longer a point of contention. Neither company has responded to TechRaptor’s request for comments.
Immortals: Fenyx Rising will release on December 3rd for the PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC.
[Source: TechRaptor]
