Dummy corporation set up by Halo-maker’s staffers trademarks title of rumored MMOFPS for use in games.
Back in February, a rumor spread that Bungie was working on a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter titled “Destiny.” According to the source, purportedly a contractor who was let go from the project, the game will be like “[World of Warcraft] in space,” run on an entirely new game engine, and sport “unique online connectivity and matchmaking technology.”
Though the exact nature of Bungie’s next project remains a mystery, today
Halo.Bungie.Org revealed a concrete connection between the Halo developer and the term “Destiny.” The fan site uncovered
a dummy corporation called Podophobia Entertainment–curiously named after the fear of feet–that was set up by two members of Bungie’s staff, president Harold Ryan and composer Martin O’Donnell. The corporation’s address is also listed as 434 Kirkland Way, Kirkland, WA–the former location of Bungie’s headquarters.
How does this connect to the title Destiny? Halo.Bungie.Org also uncovered
a US trademark filed on July 20, 2009 for the term by Podophobia Entertainment. The trademark was filed for “Computer game software; Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; Video game software; Virtual reality game software” by Podophobia’s Santa Monica, CA, branch. Santa Monica is also the location of the headquarters of Activision, which struck an exclusive 10-year deal with Bungie in April 2010. (Podophobia also registered
another trademark in the same category for the term “Be Brave.”)
A further link between Bungie and Destiny was also made via the symbol that was trademarked alongside the term (pictured).
A keen-eyed NeoGAF reader noticed the exact same symbol on the T-shirt of Bungie production director Jonty Barnes in a recent Penny Arcade video.
As of press time, Bungie had not responded to requests for comment on the report.
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