Dieselstörmers is no more – not its title, anyway, as developer Black Forest Games has lost a legal battle with fashion label Diesel, as announced on the project’s Kickstarter page (and further detailed in a developer blog post).
Wonder what they’re going to call the game now? ‘Störmers’ doesn’t have quite the same effect, after all. It sounds less brutal by a neat 50%. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Maybe get the backers involved? In any case, I’m sure BFG will be running any potential title through a dozen trademark searches first.
The Videogame Formerly Known as Dieselstörmers arrived on Kickstarter in April last year, going on to raise $52,931 towards its development. The promise of ‘high-octane carnage for 1-4 players featuring customizable motorguns, gas-guzzling knight armor, generated levels and randomized loot’ drew a total of 1,190 backers, and until now, the campaign has been smooth sailing.
It’s worth noting, however, that things were less smooth pre-campaign. Indeed, the game’s messy and complex development history started back in 2007 under Spellbound Entertainment, who revealed the project in 2010 as ‘Ravensdale’. After Spellbound went into administration in 2012 and Black Forest Games was born from the carnage, the team brought the game to Kickstarter in an effort to bring it to life, but this campaign was soon cancelled after the developer decided to rethink its funding strategy. The successful 2014 Dieselstörmers campaign was the realisation of Black Forest Games‘ new plan.
Given its development history, it’s hard to envision something as trivial as a trademark dispute stopping the project now. It just needs a new title to pick up its momentum again. Ravenstörmers?
If you have a better title, feel free to let Black Forest Games know about it on Facebook and Twitter. For more on whatever the hell this game is now called, visit the developer’s official website for updates, and check back on Cliqist for future coverage.
Wow that is bonkers that a game—a product about as far removed from fashion as I can picture—can’t have just part of its name collide with a brand name. And it’s even a word that means something in everyday speech. Maybe there’s more to the story, but from where I’m standing that’s a real bummer for these devs.
I wonder if i can use the D word again without Diesel actually suing me. :-/