The Elder Scrolls 6 – Bethesda Facing Opposition Against “Redfall” Trademark

In September of last year, news emerged that Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax, had filed a trademark application for the word “Redfall”, a word that many predicted would be the subtitle for the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6, based on speculation about the game’s setting. However, as being reported by GamesRadar, something might have thrown a wrench into Bethesda’s plans to do so.

Sci-fi author Jay J. Falconer, who’s written and published (through publisher BookBreeze) two post-apocalypse novels in his Redfall series, is opposing the trademark application by ZeniMax. There are no claims for a trademark infringement, only an opposition to the filing of one, and the process, which will entail hearings, conferences, and disclosures, has dates scheduled from March of this year all the way to August 2020.

Even if the procedure were to be settled within said timeframe, Bethesda would be unable to use “Redfall” in any future promotional material for The Elder Scrolls 6, if that is indeed the subtitle they’re choosing to go with for the game.

Falconer has gone on to follow up on the report by GamesRadar, clearing up that his lawyers “made attempts to contact [the] gaming company to work out a simple licensing deal” for usage of the “Redfall” title, but after ZeniMax did not respond, they “left [him] no choice”.

For now, there is, of course, no confirmation that Bethesda even wants to use “Redfall” as a subtitle for The Elder Scrolls 6, and by all accounts, the game itself is a good few years away, so the consequences of this matter might not materialize in any meaningful way for a while yet. Either way, stay tuned to GamingBolt, and we’ll keep you updated in case there are any new developments.

@zoe_dels Your Redfall Article. My lawyers made attempts to contact gaming company to work out a simple licensing deal for them to use my Redfall name. They ignored me every time. Shame. Left me no choice. All could have been avoided. Just call my attorneys back.

— Jay Falconer, Author (@JayJFalconer) February 20, 2019