Sleeping Dogs trademark registered by Square Enix

The Kane & Lynch series may be coming back, as Square Enix has registered a trademark for “Sleeping Dogs.”

January 24, 2012 10:15 AM4

Internet sleuths on NeoGAF have uncovered yet another Square Enix trademark. “Sleeping Dogs” might not be as immediately evocative as Final Fantasy Dimensions, but many are theorizing that this could be the subtitle for a possible Kane & Lynch sequel.

The first Kane & Lynch game debuted in 2007 and was hampered by technical and mechanical shortcomings. It currently holds a 67 on Metacritic. The sequel, Dog Days, released in 2010 with an eye-catching, grittier look. The critics still tore it apart.

Given the canine reference, Sleeping Dogs could be the name for the next Kane & Lynch. In spite of the negative reviews, the franchise consistently sells well for Square Enix. Both the first and second game sold over a million copies each. It would be foolish not to expand the franchise, especially with a motion picture supposedly in the works.

The Kane & Lynch franchise has been developed by IO Interactive. The team is currently working on Hitman Absolution–a franchise it plans on handing off to Square Enix Montreal.

An argument against the return of Kane & Lynch is that Square Enix’s past trademarks have featured the full game name: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, versus just “Dog Days.” It could be entirely possible that this trademark is about a game where you put dogs to sleep. Or, perhaps a bubbly mobile game where you wake up dogs by poking them with sticks.

(via CVG)