This week,
rumours began to swirl around about a trademarked project called
Control Resonant, filed by Asainajotoimisto Nordia Oy, who has represented Remedy in the past. The timing of the file, two weeks before The Game Awards, has sparked discussions within the industry, with some websites theorising that Remedy and Annapurna will be announcing a new show at this year's ceremony. After all, Annapurna has a deal in place with the developers to potentially bring
Alan Wake and
Control to television and film.
While a tempting theory, admittedly, while reading the articles, I was a little sceptical. So, this is what we do know...
- “Control Resonant” was a trademarked term filed on November 27th by Asainajotoimisto Nordia Oy, a Finnish legal company based in Helsinki, which has worked with Remedy in the past with trademarks. For this specific listing, there are seven key descriptions (or Nice Classifications). These would allow the copyright owner to have the term trademarked for material such as video games to action figures, lanyards, books, and comics, as well as TV and film. At present, the application is under examination, so it isn't yet officially registered. You can check out the listing on the EUIPO website,
HERE.
- Sometimes Remedy lists things under their own name, and sometimes it's through a third party. By going through a third party, it can sometimes help to hide information you might not want to reveal just yet. It can also mean that they have extra support to make sure that the trademarks fit what they need. We don't know for certain this is Remedy, but it fits past filings.
- However, just because a company has a trademark doesn't mean that it will be used. Remedy has a couple of examples of this on their own page. On April 28th 2023, they filed a similar trademark for
“Troubleshooters” for video games, clothing, and multimedia production. This is entirely just speculation, but we think this may be an early name for
FBC: Firebreak, particularly as that final name was trademarked a few months later, and it fits the vibe. There's another listing,
“Legends of Shadow America” that was filed back in November 2014 and likely to have been a mobile game developed in-house. The name never came up again, and the trademark has since lapsed, but it's an example of how Remedy may own a trademark that they eventually don't use. There are also a few that look like they have taken out of cautiousness, including
"Alan Wake's Return" and
"LumiVista", the latter being the brand of television that you sometimes see in their games.
- At present, while The Game Awards is in less than two weeks, the acceptance of the trademark is likely to take place after the ceremony. Looking at
FBC: Firebreak, the application was made in January 2024 and was confirmed in April 2024. The name was later officially revealed
in October 2024. While The Game Awards brings a mix of different media and may fit the overall aesthetic, it feels that it would be a little early... at least for this year.
- A lot of gaming websites are focusing on the Nice Classifications, which mention multimedia projects such as television or film. This is likely kindled by Annapurna owning the rights to bring both
Control and
Alan Wake in those mediums. However, a trademark listing doesn't have to be one category, and if you're hoping for that project to grow, it's better to be safe. (If you have a spare few moments, take a look at
Alan Wake's Nice Classifications. It's an experience.) For “Control Resonant”, it also lists video games.
- The original site that posted about the trademark filing was
MP1st, which also stated, “Given that The Game Awards event is no stranger to announcements related to video game series and films, if we hypothesise that Control will have a presence at the event, a live-action project reveal would make sense. But an announcement tied to the main game’s sequel would be just as plausible.” Some places are emphasising The Game Awards portion in their own pieces, particularly as it was in the headline, but apart from the notice of a new trademark, the rest of the original article is their hypothesis. You can read the original piece at MP1st,
HERE.
It's always exciting to share new theories when a new hint is dropped, and it's an electrifying time in the community as we try to piece things together. However, just be a little careful of places or people pushing their ideas as facts without the evidence. I've been in communities where speculation is so strong that it feels like a certainty that the next game will be revealed at a specific show, and it can get pretty ugly and discouraging when it doesn't appear. So, speculate away, but keep in mind that Remedy hasn't confirmed anything just yet.
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