Knack is a trademark that Sony has applied for, yet it might signify any number of different things.
As with the Sonic Frontiers trademark that was registered before the game’s formal announcement, the trademark was first discovered by Gematsu and posted to Chizai Watch. It’s still unclear what Sony plans to use the Knack trademark for, or whether it is just a copyright infringement tactic.
These two PlayStation 4 titles were produced by Sony’s now-defunct Japan Studio, which was gradually removed from the company’s official PlayStation roster last year. Director Mark Cerny, who has worked with Sony on many PlayStation systems, directed both of these games.
Do you remember the game Knack? Despite a sequel and a bizarrely devoted fan base, this understated PS4 launch game has been mostly inactive since 2017. Sony might have bigger intentions for its blocky hero, but a recent trademark application doesn’t rule out the possibility that it’s just performing some legal housekeeping.
The name “Knack” was trademarked by Sony this week. There’s a Japanese site called Chizai Watch that tracks trademark registrations. You can see for yourself. The results were translated by Gematsu, a Japanese game news website.
There isn’t a lot of work involved in filling out the paperwork. When Sony sought to trademark “Knack” on March 28, it was for video games, animation, and other forms of media. Before the launch of Knack in 2013, the firm performed the same thing.
Depending on how much you love the Knack IP, there are a variety of ways to perceive this news. It might either excite or disappoint you. That being said, Sony might be preparing a new Knack game that requires a trademark re-up in order to be released on the PS5. Since Knack wasn’t a big seller or a critical darling, it doesn’t appear like this is going to happen. If a cult series is resurrected by a gaming company, it’s not out of the question.
Perhaps Sony is merely going through the motions of filing the trademark. Even if there is no new material planned, companies prefer to maintain existing IPs since it gives them more possibilities in the future. In the event that Sony did not register this trademark and a separate gaming firm created a totally new, legally unique series, also known as Knack, Sony would be unable to do anything.
We may see Sony’s Xbox Game Pass rival Spartacus this week, so the timing of the trademark registration is noteworthy. If Sony does plan to introduce a new streaming and download service, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pair it with a well-known game or personality. Knack is unlikely to be a system seller, but fans would welcome his return regardless of his role in the game’s plot.
There’s no need to worry about the Knack trademark for the time being. It’s unlikely that a new PlayStation 5 game is currently under development. Sony, on the other hand, isn’t ready to write off the character just yet, so there’s still some chance.