Bandai Namco trademarks Klonoa, Mr. Driller, Splatterhouse under ‘Encore’ moniker

Re-releases or remasters?

Bandai Namco, like Capcom, is a master of mining nostalgia. Whether it’s in the form of anime-based games from your childhood or re-releases they have it covered, and a new set of trademarks might be taking things to the next level.

Evidently the publisher has trademarked the following “Encore” projects: Klonoa Encore, Splatterhouse Encore, Wagyan Land Encore, Mr. Driller Encore, and Genpei Touma Den Encore. Of note, Katamari Damacy Encore (called “Reroll” in the west) is a remaster that used the same nomenclature.

Providing Bandai Namco follows through here the choices here are fairly deliberate, as many of these franchises refuse to die. Klonoa sort of had a recent appearance in Tekken 7 as an art cameo, the first Mr. Driller was included in the recent PlayStation Classic micro-console, and Splatterhouse was heavily featured in the 2018 anime High Score Girl.

Piercesword [Twitter via Gematsu]