#nd35

Hello! I know that we're all super excited for Mystery of the Seven Keys to come out but we've got some news about the potential ND35: The Case of the Missing Clue.

Some backstory for anyone who missed it/needs a refresher:

On 30 March 2023 HeR Interactive filed for a trademark with the phrase "The Case of the Missing Clue" with the description of "Downloadable video and computer game programs; recorded video and computer game programs". This is the same description that the Mystery of the Seven Keys trademark had.

The TM has slowly been going through the paperwork process and yesterday, 23 April 2024, was officially granted its Notice of Allowance.

A Notice of Allowance indicates that the Trademark Office has granted the trademark to the applicant, with the stipulation that the TM has to be used (e.g. selling a game with that title) within 3 years. So as of 23 April 2024, HeR Interactive has a MAXIMUM of 3 years to use their trademark or lose it.

What does this mean for us and for HeR?

While we don't know anything concrete about The Case of the Missing Clue, there's some pretty strong correlations with the dates of the rollout of KEY. The Missing Clue TM was filed for 2 days before HeR began their April 1 marketing strategy, and the KEY release date was only announced once the Missing Clue TM's opposition period (the last step before the Notice of Allowance) had ended.

And given the correlations between the timing of KEY's marketing and the Missing Clue TM, could this mean that we will get a teaser at the end of KEY for ND35?

The Trademark Office's time limit of 3 years is also a very good sign for us, as it potentially means that HeR will be forced to speed up their game production. 3 years (while still a loooong time) is significantly shorter than the 4.5 years between MID and KEY.

No new trademark update for the possible title of ND35, through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office