On March 4,Capcomtrademarked Dino Crisis once again in Japan. The renewal of the intellectual property ownership claim went public today through theChizai Watchportal, which records all updates in the Japan Patent Office in a faster format to access.
A Timeless Classic
Dino Crisisis an action game series that started back in 1999. With Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame assuming its direction helm, the first game mixed fighting dinosaurs, puzzle elements and horror elements, as players attempt to stay alive in a crisis akin to Jurassic Park.
Every Dino Crisis Game, Ranked
From heart-pounding escapes through dino-infested labs to dinosaurs in space, the Dino Crisis series has taken us on a wild ride.
The original title takes a group of agents to a research facility on Ibis Island. As they search for Dr. Edward Kirk, a renowned scientist involved in a secret project there, they will find the base in shambles and the menacing figures of dinosaurs roaming about.
After the first game, there were two sequels and a light gun spin-off called Dino Stalker on consoles. A mobile title that worked as a first-person shooter with dungeon crawler format was also released back in 2003. All of these games, however, were released back in the late 1990s and early 2000s
Ever since then, the IP lies dormant, so fans have long been waiting for new entries. While rumors of a new entry circulated the internet back in 2014, nothing concrete came from it so far. The most recent movement from Capcom was a partnership with GOG to make the first two titles accessible on current hardware and release them on CD Projekt’s PC game storefront.
Dino Crisis’s PC release followed the originalResident Evil trilogyre-release, which also received the same treatment and started a partnership between the two companies. GOG used them as big examples for theGOG Preservation Program, which aims to make sure such classic gems are future-proof, actively striving to avoid compatibility issues as computers evolve.
The New Trademark
The Dino Crisis trademark is registered for use on games of all natures, such as console and PC titles, mobile games and online ones. Generally speaking, this sort of trademark often comes with all those broad applications for legal coverage.
It’s important to keep in mind that trademark renewal doesn’t guarantee that the company is working on a new project. Despite how vague such a detail can be, it’s also true that this sort of register signals internal discussions and is a necessary step that the company has to undertake if they have any plans for a new game or re-release.
What comes out of this trademark remains to be seen, but Capcom is no stranger to classic collections and modern re-releases. The company is currently working onOnimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, which is coming to multiple systems this May, the same month when they will release a big pack of underappreciated classics in Capcom Fighting Collection 2.
It’s important to keep in mind that trademark renewal doesn’t guarantee that the company is working on a new project.
With Onimusha, the company is working simultaneously on bringing back the classic game and working on a new one, asOnimusha: Way of the Swordcomes out in 2026. Dino Crisis fans will no doubt hope that something similar can happen to the IP, letting them enjoy a nice pack of the previous titles and look forward to what the current Capcom developers can do to draw the high-octane potential of the IP on new systems. Now it’s time to wait and see what Capcom will reveal in the future.
