A mysterious Pokemon "VSTAR" trademark has been filed by Nintendo, giving gamers a hint that something new is on the way — but what that new thing might be is a bit of a mystery.
The Pokemon franchise has had a pretty solid 2020. Aside from the recent resurgence of Pokemon TCG box breaks, the latest release Pokemon Sword and Shield has seen both parts of its Expansion Pass DLC launch. Pokemon Cafe Mix has arrived on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, and things are looking up for the future of an already massive franchise.
Now, a new trademark filing by Nintendo indicates that the company may be working on a new kind of project, although it's not easy to pin down what exactly it might be from the trademark filing alone.
What is the Pokemon VSTAR trademark?
As Japanese Nintendo reports, the new trademark filing was made on November 10, 2020. Two weeks later, the Pokemon VSTAR trademark has now been published. The trademark was filed in Class 28, which includes the following as noted by the USPTO:
(Toys and sporting goods)
Games, toys and playthings; video game apparatus; gymnastic and sporting articles; decorations for Christmas trees.
Explanatory Note
Class 28 includes mainly toys, apparatus for playing games, sports equipment, amusement and novelty items, as well as certain articles for Christmas trees.
This Class includes, in particular:
amusement and game apparatus, including controllers therefor;
novelty toys for playing jokes and for parties, for example, carnival masks, paper party hats, confetti, party poppers and Christmas crackers;
hunting and fishing tackle, for example, fishing rods, landing nets for anglers, decoys, hunting game calls;
equipment for various sports and games.
As a general rule, many (if not most) video game trademarks fall under Class 28. Unfortunately, this category also includes tabletop games, toys, and many other possible products that could potentially launch with Pokemon branding.
Ultimately, we can't say for sure what the Pokemon VSTAR trademark will be used for. Fan site Pokebeach points out that it could be the name of an upcoming card set in Japan, but it just as easily could be anything else. We can't say what it will be for certain just yet, but the odds are good that we'll find out more sometime later in 2021.
What do you think the Pokemon VSTAR trademark is for? What do you hope it will be? Let us know in the comments below!
