Stellarblade vs. Stellar Blade; Sony and Shift up Studio Sued Over Game Title
The developers of Stellar Blade and Sony Interactive Entertainment have been sued by the owner of a US company called Stellarblade. He is demanding that the developers of the hit action RPG stop using that name.
Will Shift Up and Sony Interactive Entertainment be forced to change the title of their latest hit? The action RPG Stellar Blade developers and the Japanese giant were unexpectedly hit with a lawsuit from a company named... Stellarblade. Its owner, Griffith Chambers Mehaffey, accuses the devs of violating the rights to the name, which is hurting his business.
- Stellarblade, based in Louisiana, USA, produces commercials and documentaries. Mehaffey established his company in 2010, and launched the "stellarblade.com" website in 2006.
- Because of Stellar Blade's high popularity, potential customers of the Stellarblade company cannot find its website through an internet search engine, as they only see information related to the game for the PlayStation 5 console. Mehaffey stated that before the official announcement of the RPG's title in 2022 (which was announced in 2019 as Project Eve), his company was easily accessible online.
The Stellarblade founder also suggests a similarity between the logos of both brands. The color scheme is to be similar, and the itemize letter "S."
- It's worth adding that the name "Stellar Blade" was registered by the Shift Up studio in January 2023 as a trademark associated with video games. In turn, Mehaffey did this in June 2023, after which he sent a cease-and-desist notice to Shift Up regarding the use of the name.
- The game logo was registered by Shift Up studio in May 2024, a few weeks after the premiere of Stellar Blade. The owner of the Stellarblade company registered it in August 2023 in Louisiana and in November of the same year in Mississippi (via IGN).
Griffith Chambers Mehaffey demands that Shift Up and Sony cease using the name "Stellar Blade" or any similar. Furthermore, the defendants must provide Stellarblade company with the materials containing the disputed term in order for it to be destroyed. Besides, the game's developers are to pay Mehaffey compensation for the losses incurred. Sony hasn't yet publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Despite these troubles, the devs are probably still focusing on releasing Eve's adventures on PC - this port is expected to be released in the "near future."
