FromSoftware buys Elden Ring trademark from Bandai Namco

FromSoftware, known for games such as Bloodborne and Dark Souls, now has full ownership of the 2022 game Elden Ring. It was previously owned by Bandai Namco, VGC reports.

This became known thanks to a transfer of rights to the trademark from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The ownership of the trademark was transferred to the company in March 2023, i.e. about 13 months after the game’s release.

The studio partnered with Bandai Namco to distribute the game outside of Japan. This is not the first such collaboration between FromSoftware, as the Dark Souls games were also published by Bandai outside Japan, while the studio managed to do it on its own.

This step was probably initiated by Tencent, which owns 30% of the studio and is preparing a mobile version of Elden Ring. Either FromSoftware learns from its mistakes and avoids leaving profitable series in the wrong hands, as happened with Bloodborne, which has been “held hostage” by indifferent Sony for almost 9 years.