Microsoft Renews Trademark For Rare’s Classic N64 Game Blast Corps

Video game trademark renewals are always happening, and while they don’t necessarily mean something is on the horizon, they do tend to create some excitement whenever it’s a classic game or series we haven’t heard about for some time.

The latest one, as highlighted by Game Rant, is tied to the iconic British developer Rare, which is owned by Microsoft. Interestingly though, the latest trademarks are more of a retro throwback – with the renewals of Blast Corps (originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 1997) and Viva Piñata, starting out on the Xbox 360 in 2006.

While the Viva Piñata series has been on Nintendo systems in the past (Pocket Paradise for the DS), the focus for us here on Nintendo Life is mostly on the action game Blast Corps. The IP hasn’t been properly put to use for a very long time but did recently get some themed merchandise at the beginning of this year.

And after the release of Banjo-Kazooie for the Switch Online Expansion Pack service in January, many Switch fans are also hoping to see many other classic Rare games get a release on the service. At this point, we don’t know what else is coming to the service, apart from Custom Robo 1 & 2 for Japan.

One rather odd scenario that played out towards the end of 2020 was a listing for Blast Corps and Banjo-Kazooie (for Wii U’s Virtual Console) on Nintendo’s official Japanese website. It was incredibly weird at the time, considering neither game had ever been released on Nintendo’s digital services. Nintendo said it was a mistake and updated the page:

Another Rare rumour that’s been circulating for some time now is about the legendary N64 shooter GoldenEye 007 potentially making a comeback, but it remains unclear at this stage what platforms the game would be released on.

Would you like to see the Blast Corps IP make a comeback? Would you like to see it on made available on Nintendo’s Switch Online service? Comment below.

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