Disney abandons 'Star Wars 1313' trademark

Family-friendly megacorporation Disney has allowed its trademark on Star Wars 1313 to lapse, likely driving the final nail into the coffin of the promising action game once described by developers as "Star Wars hell."

Initially revealed just prior to E3 2012, Star Wars 1313 was to be a darker take on George Lucas' beloved space epic. Instead of cutesy ewoks and characters who clearly fit into either "good" or "evil" roles, Star Wars 1313 would have cast players as a bounty hunter stalking the crime-ridden alleyways of Coruscant. Little was revealed of the game before its development was suspended following Disney's purchase of LucasArts, but Star Wars 1313 was repeatedly described as "dark and mature" by its developers at LucasArts.

Now, a visit to the United States Patent And Trademark Office website reveals that Disney's trademark has lapsed. "Abandoned because no Statement of Use or Extension Request timely filed after Notice of Allowance was issued," reads the trademark status section, indicating that Disney made no effort to maintain its ownership of the title. While it is possible that some of the concepts seen in those early glimpses might make their way into future Star Wars games, it seems unlikely that we'll ever see Star Wars 1313 on store shelves.