One Piece has been around for decades at this point, and it is no stranger to trademarking. The franchise has set aside several rights throughout its lifetime, and it seems like another has joined the list. And this time, fans aren’t quite sure what the trademark is about.
The whole thing came to light when fans in Japan dug up a recent trademark for One Piece. The motion, which was filed within the last year, was put in by Shueisha and Bandai Namco. The trademark was approved this week, and the movement reserves the companies’ right to use the name One Piece Odyssey exclusively.
The trademark gives no further details on this project, but fans have some guesses of what’s coming. This registered title has never been teased by the franchise before, so One Piece fans believe the project will be a standalone one. And if that is the case, Bandai Namco might have a video game in mind.
After all, it has been a hot minute since the developer put out a new One Piece game. The most recent release came with One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. The play debuted in Japan last March on a slew of systems. Two mobile games were released for the anime the previous year, with One Piece: The Bloodline being exclusive to Chinese players.
While a console game did debut last year, it was housed under the Pirate Warriors umbrella. If this new title is referencing a video game, it is likely a standalone instead of a sequel given its name alone. Fans will be more than happy to hear that should it be the case. And if not, well – it seems netizens have something to look forward to this year!