Could Overwatch Be Forced to Change Its Name?

While we are still operating under the assumption that Blizzard's upcoming team based shooter, Overwatch, will be free-to-play, the game could be in for a big change even before players have had a real chance to dive into the game.

Blizzard's patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the name "Overwatch" has been suspended due to a prior filing for the same name registered under Innovis Labs, Inc. While the US patent process has been in dire need of an overhaul for quite some time, these two patent applications both fall under "goods related to game software and similar" so both applications have been suspended fearing confusion while the applications are reviewed.

What is Innovis Labs' Overwatch? It's a phone app (already running on the iPhone) that brings video game like representations of real life paintball and laser tag matches to your mobile device.

NeoGAF forum user Rösti has a great breakdown of both applications and the suspension details for those interested in digging into the minutia of the situation.

We'll be sure to keep you posted on any new developments.