A new trademark filing from Nintendo may prove a Game Boy Classic is in development. Before getting too excited, this is based off a tweet in Japanese, so there could easily be some information lost in translation.
[商願2017-123766]
— 商標速報bot (@trademark_bot) October 6, 2017
商標:[画像] /
出願人:任天堂株式会社 /
出願日:2017年9月15日 /
区分:9(家庭用テレビゲーム機用プログラムほか),14(キーホルダーほか),18(かばん金具ほか),21(化粧用具ほか),25(被服ほか),28(家庭用テレビゲーム… pic.twitter.com/noRhof6vF1
Based on the translation provided for the tweet above, Nintendo has filed a trademark on Sept. 15 with the attached image of an original Game Boy. Included in the information is that this filing is for “home video game machine for program” and “home video-game consoles.” However, it also mentions the filing is for “keychain other,” “bag fittings other” and “makeup tools other.”
So, what does all this mean? It’s possible this trademark is for a Game Boy Classic of some kind. Like the NES Classic and SNES Classic before it, the Game Boy Classic would come preloaded with a number of original Game Boy games. It’s unknown if the hypothetical Game Boy Classic will be a portable console or something to plug into a TV, but tethering the device to a screen does seem to defeat the purpose of a Game Boy just a little bit.
However, it’s also possible this trademark filing is for something completely different. All the added descriptors of the filing, like the makeup tools and bag fittings, makes me think this is simply Nintendo filing for a trademark on the Game Boy image. This would allow the image to be used on clothes, makeup, bags and other products alongside video game consoles.
What do I think? Personally, I don’t believe this is for a Game Boy Classic. The extra information doesn’t make sense if this was solely a game console trademark filing. It does make sense for Nintendo to continue to ride the overwhelmingly strong wave of nostalgia by bringing a classic console to the mobile market, but this isn’t the trademark filing to get excited over. I’d keep my hopes low until Nintendo makes an official announcement, which will not be coming by the end of the year if at all.
So what do you think? Do you hope this trademark filing is for a Game Boy Classic? What games would you like to see on a potential Game Boy Classic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
