Vice City Stories - Trademarked.

26
Mar
2006
By Chris | 26th Mar 2006 at 11:30 GMT in Vice City Stories | 19 Comments

Some suprising news is flying round the interweb today.

On March 21st Take-Two filed a paper with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the trademark "Vice City Stories".

The interesting thing is the 3 things they have trademarked. It includes:

  1. Vice City Stories: Computer game programs, computer game software, computer game cartridges and instruction manuals included therewith.
  2. Vice City Stories: Clothing, namely, shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, casual and leisure jackets; headgear, namely hats and caps; footwear.
  3. Vice City Stories: Entertainment services in the nature of the production and distribution of motion picture films; production of prerecorded video cassettes, video discs and laser discs; entertainment services in the nature of a live-action and/or animated television program series and production of live-action, and/or animated motion picture films for television; entertainment services in the nature of computer games provided and played through a global computer network.

The first being the game itself, secondly the clothing, but thirdly, a TV series?

To see the trademarks for yourself, head over to the USPTO.gov website and search for Vice City Stories, you'll see three links there.

We'll have to see what comes of this. This could be a double bluff by Rockstar. They do own numerous other trademarks which have remained unused for years. This could be just an attempt to safeguard themselves. But you never know. We'll just have to wait.

Remember that Rockstar have said the next game will be "all-new". There's nothing new about VCS. It's just building off Liberty City Stories, and using the same name? I personally do not believe this will be the title of the game. Also it's worth pointing out that Take-Two didn't bother trademarking Liberty City Stories, so I must state this is not a solid fact that this is what the next GTA will be called.

We'd like to know if you'd buy Vice City Stories if it did indeed be released for the PSP later this year, a new poll is now available to vote in, so please vote in that honestly.

Thanks to Adriaan for the heads up though.

888ball's photo
888ball 26th March, 2006 @ 13:01 - Permalink

It probably is a bluff, but i sure hope it isn't.

Slayer's photo
Slayer 26th March, 2006 @ 16:11 - Permalink

It should better be a bluff!

Gerard's photo
Gerard 26th March, 2006 @ 19:35 - Permalink

Yeah R* are really pushing it if they're gonna go for Vice City Stories then San Andreas Stories for PSP and PS2/3 or PC/XBox.

We want one thing, its quite simple. A brand new GTA game, bigger and better than anything perceived before.

We do NOT want repackaged old games. That's just dirty tricks, and not good for the consumers. Rockstar won't make many friends unless they give us something new.

Adriaan's photo
Adriaan 27th March, 2006 @ 06:29 - Permalink

I would have to say financially it is not worth creating a brand new city.

Chris's photo
Chris 27th March, 2006 @ 15:32 - Permalink
I would have to say financially it is not worth creating a brand new city.

I wholly disagree with that statement. Looking at things from a financial point of view it is imperative they create a new city. Re-using cities is not going to attract the fans. They definitely need to be more creative in order to gain a much wider appeal, and thus, profits.

Granted, using VC will save money, but people won't flock to the stores to buy a game they've played 4 years ago, just with new missions. This is why LCS failed somewhat, in that people already played the game 4 years ago.

Adriaan's photo
Adriaan 27th March, 2006 @ 18:01 - Permalink

LCS is the number one selling PSP game, it didn't fail. Yet it is not worth spending million creating a new city. The next GTA will come out allong with the PS3. I'm sure that'd affect it even more. If it comes out on PS2 and PSP at the same time, then yes... creating a new city could be nice.

Spaz The Great's photo
Spaz The Great 27th March, 2006 @ 18:27 - Permalink

Waste of money to create a new city? Why? They create new cities for the other games, why is it that since this is a portable for some reason it isn't worth it? I'd be WAY more for buying it if it were a new city.

mvi's photo
mvi 27th March, 2006 @ 20:52 - Permalink

It's a waste of money not to make a brand new city. Let's face it who wants to buy a game they've already clocked for a full price chart game when instead of playing just a some new missions they could be playing an entirely new city. The reason LCS didn't sell that well (aside from the fact there aren't enough people with PSPs) is that not many people want to go out and pay good money for what they've largely already experienced.

Chris's photo
Chris 28th March, 2006 @ 14:38 - Permalink

Thank God people are agreeing with me. I think some people are under-estimating the epic financial proportions that such a game can have.

Basically what Spaz and mvi said back my case up.

My opinion on VCS: NO game, but, the rumoured TV series/animation - that's a more likely possibility.

Chris's photo
Chris 29th March, 2006 @ 14:58 - Permalink

Oh noes! double post!! I'm setting a bad example...

Just letting everyone know I changed the poll on the website just now to get everyones thoughts on whether they'd buy this game if it came out. Thanks.

Adriaan's photo
Adriaan 30th March, 2006 @ 06:19 - Permalink

Based on MVI's last post: Check the poll results, appart from the people that doesn't have a PSP, most people will buy Vice City Stories. Maybe you should make comments about these games once you actualy played it. GTA: LCS' engine is entirely different from GTA 3. There's a lot of changes around the city, the vehicles are different, more features and a lot more. For some reason you people think LCS is a port of GTA3. I laught at you!

I'm just commenting about it not being worth creating a brand new city, based on the financial results of Liberty City Stories. They'd make more money with VCS, than creating a brand new city ;)

mvi's photo
mvi 30th March, 2006 @ 18:07 - Permalink

Oh no Adriaan laughs at me... Thus proving adriaan an idiot as I do in fact own LCS and funnily enough have played it (that's why you buy games afterall.) It is a port of gta 3 with just an edited vice city engine and a new storyline. Time for you yourself to get your facts rights it seems

Slayer's photo
Slayer 30th March, 2006 @ 19:03 - Permalink

Well I don't know about you people, but I don't play GTA to do missions. The main reason (apart from stunting :lol: ) is that I like to explore the map and search for easter eggs and secrets. And you can't possibly do that by driving around the same city that you used to explore a few years ago. Man I've completed VC 5 times! I know every god damn corner of the map! And I really don't want to play on the same map again and again. It would make me feel sick :sick: .

The first thing I've done when I've finaly gotten the PC version of SA (I haven't got neither PS2 or PSP) is exploring the LS, and later exploring the countryside and everything else on the map. Missions were on the second place.

And probably the main reason because GTA is so popular because you have freedom. From the first to the last moment of the game you can move in every possible direction on the 3D map! Missions don't make GTA as fun as exploring the map does. There are lots of people that quit playing missions and just explored the map and did all the additional features, but they didn't play any missions. And I think that means something.

Adriaan's photo
Adriaan 30th March, 2006 @ 19:11 - Permalink

Well I appologise for that. I just assumed you don't have LCS, because speaking to you last week I found that you don't own a PSP, nor LCS. Sorry about that one. I would like to know your source though about the following statement:

It is a port of gta 3 with just an edited vice city engine and a new storyline.

I take it as purely speculation, and you in fact did not speak to a R* Leeds developer on this. Perhaps you should get your facts straight, before saying something like that. Again, I challenge you to provide your source on that statement.

...and don't go on saying something like: "It is so, because there is no evidence of it not being so."

Gerard's photo
Gerard 31st March, 2006 @ 21:24 - Permalink

I absolutely agree with slayer.

Lets take it back a gear. Imagine if Rockstar re-released San Andreas, under a different name, with different missions, a slightly upgraded engine and a few new features. Would you all go out and buy it? Many would just because its a GTA game. Many people would not have bought San Andreas and would just get the new one instead. But most people who have played San Andreas to death won't really want to have to do it all again.

There are many reasons why people did buy LCS. One was that it was a game, a good game. One was that it was for the PSP and people wanted a decent game for that - even if it had just been a port of gta3, many would have bought it for that reason. Notice there is a lack of the people that really want a new GTA.

Rockstar are bringing out a PS2 port of LCS, which WILL sell some copies, for the same reasons as above, but not as many as GTA3 originally did, or probably even LCS did. What if rockstar did that with GTA4, and released an all-new game in a new city, with a new engine, and completely different features, released on PSP first THEN onto PS2 or PS3 THEN onto PC and XBox 360. That would sell sh*tloads.

YoungFools's photo
YoungFools 5th April, 2006 @ 19:19 - Permalink

I have to say, I would prefer to have a whole new island as vice city was a really small island anyway... but maybe... just maybe... they could have vice city... and... another island in the game too! like LC or something... thats just an idea though...

Oh and also... when they said...

Vice City Stories: Entertainment services in the nature of the production and distribution of motion picture films; production of prerecorded video cassettes, video discs and laser discs; entertainment services in the nature of a live-action and/or animated television program series and production of live-action, and/or animated motion picture films for television; entertainment services in the nature of computer games provided and played through a global computer network.

I think they were talking about TRAILERS... unless im completely wrong...not short films... but that would be good....

Spaz The Great's photo
Spaz The Great 10th April, 2006 @ 05:02 - Permalink
Well I appologise for that. I just assumed you don't have LCS, because speaking to you last week I found that you don't own a PSP, nor LCS. Sorry about that one. I would like to know your source though about the following statement:

I take it as purely speculation, and you in fact did not speak to a R* Leeds developer on this. Perhaps you should get your facts straight, before saying something like that. Again, I challenge you to provide your source on that statement.

...and don't go on saying something like: "It is so, because there is no evidence of it not being so."

I'm actually pretty sure it is the VC engine. I heard that when checking news on the CheatDevice, that is supposedly why the VC news copter is in the game.

Oh and also... when they said...

I think they were talking about TRAILERS... unless im completely wrong...not short films... but that would be good....

NO ONE is reading the entire thing.....

# Vice City Stories: Entertainment services in the nature of the production and distribution of motion picture films; production of prerecorded video cassettes, video discs and laser discs; entertainment services in the nature of a live-action and/or animated television program series and production of live-action, and/or animated motion picture films for television; entertainment services in the nature of computer games provided and played through a global computer network.

Everyone is COMPLETELY IGNORING the more exciting part, and more LIKELY part to happen..... SERIOUSLY people..... GTA movie/tv series? Or online GTA? I know which one I'd choose without thinking twice about it. I'm ashamed of you all.

YoungFools's photo
YoungFools 11th April, 2006 @ 09:33 - Permalink

good point! but... i think we already know that, considering LCS was multiplayer... Unless they are making it Infrustructure... that would be even better!!

Righty's photo
Righty 11th April, 2006 @ 10:09 - Permalink

That would be cool if it was multiplayer.