Konami has registered a new trademark that may refer to the Castlevania franchise, which has entered a release limbo.
The registration of the “Project Zircon” trademark took place last week, but it was revealed only today. It will be used in several fields, such as software for commercial video games, indicating a possible launch.
As noted by Gematsu Project Zircon may be a reference to an object found in the Castlevania franchise. Zircou is a gem found in several games in the series, first appearing in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
However, it is worth noting that the Project Zircon brand may also be used by Konami in their prize arcade machines, known as Pachinko in Japan, and it may not be the release that gamers have been waiting for years.
Konami Digital Entertainment filed a trademark for “Project Zircon” on March 7 in Japan.
The only connection between “Konami” and “zircon” I was able to find is that zircon appears as a jewel (the least valuable) in the Castlevania series.https://t.co/3DPHFySPP5 pic.twitter.com/TWPXyOQo5v
— Gematsu (@gematsu) March 14, 2023
Like many Konami games, like Metal Gear Solid and the soon-to-return Silent Hill, Castlevania has entered a limbo that has lasted nearly 10 years. The last game in the main series was Lords of Shadow 2 in 2014, developed by Spanish studio MercurySteam.
Although older titles have been re-released in compilations, no new games have been announced, despite numerous rumours. In 2021, the VGC revealed that Konami would be licensing the series to outside studios to develop new games.
Rumors also claim that a Castlevania reboot would be in internal development in Japan, along with multiple Silent Hill games, something that came true in October of last year.
