Name of game

Strange but true: One of the hardest things was to find a name for my game!

I really would like to create a thread in the WIP forum and perhaps other forums, but i am afraid of posting the name of my game.

I dont have a site on steam and the game will need i think 2 more years to be finished.
I have a fear that some other person/studio will see the name and use it for a smaller game on steam that is released BEFORE mine and i can not name my game the same then on steam.

I dont have money to protect the name.
I already reserved a website with the name.
Can i create a steam site 2 years before release?
Should i use a work title instead of the original in the forums(but that is kinda bad for marketing...)

How do you deal with that problem?

When i am the first one to release with a name i dont care if someone uses the name after that because all the links will lead to my sites when googling the name which is nice marketing
I am not afraid that my game idea is stolen (because it is a very common genre and there are many games with a similar idea) but the name.

 

Start saving.

If you're two years out from a release, this is incredibly premature.

Yeah, but you shouldn't.

If you're two years out, it's too early for any practical marketing. Even for AAA games that's a stretch.

By not getting myself into that situation in the first place? You're kinda in a hell of your own making here.

If your game's name is more compelling than your game, that's actually far bigger a problem than anything else you've said here.

 

@Murgilod
You wrote a lot but it isn't really helpful. Funny how you interpret that my games name is more appealing than my game from what I wrote when someone is doing battle Royale (which I am not ) sure he isn't afraid that some other game dev will do it too because there are many games like that. But it doesn't tell anything about the quality of the game.

I read between your lines that it is too early for a WIP thread, is that correct? I can wait but I read some tips and one was "you can not start early enough with marketing*.
Its my first game and when you tell me from experience it is too early I believe you.
Still I would like to here more opinions.

 

You should blogging about the game right away. And as often as you can, it's hard do find time Todo it, we blog way to little about our game.

Trademark the game is pretty easy, atleast here in the EU. It's done online. But you need a finished logo to trademark.

 

Thank you! Actually I have already a logo i will inform me more about trademark and if i can do ot with my game title.

 

When I did it in 2016 it cost about 800 EUR if not mistaken, but it's really straight forward. Its not as easy in the US if things haven't changed since 2016, they are in the middle ages when it comes to governmental IT systems

 

Actually that is a sum i could afford. But i think i wait perhaps between 0.5-1 years before investing. I read about it and there is also somethink like an "unregistered trademark". That seem cheaper and perhaps i will do that first.

 

FWIW legally I was advised to protect it once it became famous, if ever instead of before. It was pretty good advice since I've changed the name twice since

 

Actually the name is protected automatically, if you can prove in court that your were first with the name public. But it needs to be proven so it will cost some lawyer fees etc. Fees that are paid by the loosing party (this applies to EU)

 

Regarding US law: it's only true if you have SOLD your game normally first, publicity means nothing.

Definitely must have to watch series about "gaming" law, the third one talks about IP and trademarks, primarily, but I link all of them, because why not:

 

Sometimes the name decides a lot more than other factors in the game, surprisingly)

 

And usually it's the other way around.