Bandai Namco has a new name on file, and it fits the fighting game its studio has been hiring for all year. On November 9, Bandai Namco Entertainment filed a US trademark application for “Fatal Ichor” (serial number 50208601). Bandai Namco has not announced a game by that name, and the filing does not say what kind of game it is.
The Fatal Ichor filing covers games and online play
The application lists Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai Namco Entertainment of Tokyo as the owner and covers two classes. Class 9 is downloadable and recorded video game software. Class 41 is entertainment services, namely “providing online video games” and “providing a computer game for use network-wide by network users.”
It was filed on an intent-to-use basis, which means Bandai Namco is reserving the name for something it has not released yet. The application is waiting for an examiner, the normal first step for a new filing.
Bandai Namco Studios is hiring for a new fighting game
Bandai Namco has not said what Fatal Ichor is, but its development studio is openly building a new fighting game. The Bandai Namco Studios careers page tags 28 open roles for a fighting game recruitment drive. One listing hires a game designer and battle planner for a “new fighting game project,” working on the game system and character design. Another hires a console engineer for a “new fighting action game” in Unreal Engine, covering character control, animation, hit detection and versus logic.
The engineer listing asks for experience on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and counts work on tournament and esports titles as a plus. That points to a competitive game built for current consoles.
Nothing official ties the trademark to that project. The link is a guess based on the timing and on the name, which sounds more like a fighting game than anything else. In Greek myth, ichor is the golden blood of the gods.
Players are hoping Fatal Ichor is a new Soul Calibur
Players in the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours thread went straight to Soul Calibur, the weapon fighter whose last main entry, Soul Calibur VI, came out in 2018. Others asked why Bandai Namco would need another fighting game when it already has Tekken 8. A brand new name could mean a new series, but publishers also file subtitles and working names, so Fatal Ichor could still turn out to belong to an existing one.
Until Bandai Namco shows the game, Fatal Ichor is just a name. We will update this story if the company says more.
