A number of game developers tired of having the Sword of Langdell hanging over their heads have banded together to throw down the gauntlet by renaming their games with variations of the word “edge.”
Despite the high hopes of David Papazian, who claimed Langdell had been “discredited” by the battle over Mobigame’s Edge, the Edge Games boss was back in the news earlier this week with a trademark infringement complaint against PuzzleKing’s iPhone game Killer Edge Racing. Simultaneously, Langdell filed an application to trademark “Killer Edge Racing” in the U.S., according to legal firm Sheridans, which is representing Killer Edge Racing creator Nalim Sharma in the matter.
But a handful of other developers, apparently tired of his antics, have decided to force the matter, and Langdell’s hand, by renaming their games to variations of “Edge.” Fez, for instance, from the self-described “edgy” Montreal developer Polytron, is now known as Fedge.
“To better represent the edgy nature and aesthetic the game, and edges of squares and cubes, Polytron is proud to announce the name change from Fez to Fedge!” the company said in a statement announcing the change. “We at Polytron Corporation are at the edge of everything, at the edge of other edges, so it only make sense to reflect this edgyness in our product’s name, which is now Fedge.”
Also included in the Langdell-baiting are Closure, which has been renamed to Closure: On the EDGE of Reality, representing both the game’s setting “on the edge between reality and nonexistence” as well as the technology used in the game, including edge processing, edge detection and edge mapping; Ledge Dismount from Secret Exit, the developer of the Dismount series of games; Critter Crunch, now rechristened as Critter Credge; and Atomic Edge Games, which has released Canabedge, Gravity Edge and Edgecrement and promises, “Our lawyers are working hard at tracking down all the other infringing freeloading scam artists out there. Your days are numbered you jerks!”
What will actually come of all this? Hard to say; Langdell could throw his hands up in frustration and just walk away from the whole mess, or he could mercilessly crush the life out of everyone who dares to try his patience. I think it’s more likely, though, that EA’s petition to have Edge Games’ trademarks canceled will be allowed to work its way through the courts, after which the situation should be considerably clearer regardless of the outcome. We’ve contacted Dr. Langdell for comment and will update when we can.
UPDATE: Wait, there’s more. Also joining in the fight, as Boing Boing notes, are Spelunky (Edgy), Eliss (Edgeliss), And Yet It Moves (And Edge It Moves), Smiles (Edgeles) and AaaAAaaaaaAAAAAaaaa!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity (EeeeEEEeeeeeeeeEEedge!!! – A Feckless Disregard for Poopieheads). Don’t be too surprised if even more pop up in the future.
