Microsoft renews Killer Instinct trademark

Microsoft has renewed its trademark for Killer Instinct. The Microsoft-run PlayXBLA news portal revealed the information, which is backed up by the official September 12 listing with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

The trademark was filed under the goods and services description of video game software, with a specificity of "online video games."

It is not clear what this action means for the future of the Killer Instinct fighting game franchise. A Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot, "Microsoft often acquires various trademarks as part of its ongoing business strategy, but beyond that we have no comment.”

The 1994 original Killer Instinct was developed by Rare and published by Midway for arcades. It was later released for the Super Nintendo and Game Boy, published by Nintendo. A sequel titled Killer Instinct 2 launched in 1996 and arrived on the Nintendo 64 as Killer Instinct Gold.