The release of the PlayStation 5 exclusive ‘Stellar Blade’ in late April has sparked a bizarre controversy, with a recent lawsuit alleging trademark infringement. Griffith Chambers Mehaffey, the owner of a film production company called Stellarblade LLC, has filed suit against developer Shift Up and Sony in a Louisiana court.
Mehaffey’s legal team claims that he has been using the domain name ‘stellarblade.com’ since 2006 and that his company has been operational since 2010. However, they argue that the release of the game has made it difficult for people to find information about his business online. Mehaffey is seeking damages and demands that Sony and Shift Up cease using the name ‘Stellar Blade’.
The lawsuit further claims that the trademarks associated with Mehaffey’s company and the game are ‘confusingly similar.’ Both utilize blue color schemes and a stylized ‘S,’ though the overall design of the two logos differ significantly. This issue wasn’t apparent when the game was first announced in 2019 under the title ‘Project EVE,’ but Sony unveiled the name ‘Stellar Blade’ during its September 2022 State of Play.
According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the ‘Stellar Blade’ trademark was initially filed in January 2023, with an ‘opposition’ filed on September 11, 2024. Mehaffey filed his own trademark in June 2023 and subsequently sent a cease and desist letter to Shift Up in July.
‘Stellar Blade’ marked the PlayStation 5’s first major console exclusive release of 2024. While reviews were mixed, with some outlets like Digital Trends praising its style but criticizing its lack of substance, Shift Up revealed that the game had sold over 1 million units in its first two months of release. However, it dropped off PlayStation’s top 20 downloads list in June.
The outcome of this legal battle remains to be seen, but it highlights the potential complications that can arise from similar branding and trademarks in the fast-paced world of video game development and marketing.
