King’s trademark claim is blocking a Banner Saga sequel

King may be downplaying the impact of its attempt to trademark the word "saga", but The Banner Saga creator Stoic says it is preventing the creation of a sequel.

Candy Crush firm King assured the media yesterday that its opposition to Stoic’s trademark application is nothing more than a pre-emptive attempt to stop copycats from making games with the word "saga".

But Stoic’s Alex Thomas told Polygon that his studio filed a trademark for "The Banner Saga" before King, and that this legal hurdle has put plans for a sequel on hold.

"They’ve blocked our trademark and extended the deadline for the opposition twice so that we are unable to have the right to the name," he said. "Essentially, we are not allowed to own the name ‘The Banner Saga’ for our game about a viking epic, because King.com says they have claimed rights to the noun ‘saga’, which means a ‘viking epic’, forever more in the realm of games."

In an official statement, Stoic said "Two years ago, the three of us at Stoic set out to make an epic viking game: The Banner Saga. We did, and people loved it, so we’re making another one. We won’t make viking games without the word Saga, and we don’t appreciate anyone telling us we can’t.

"King.com claims they’re not attempting to prevent us from using The Banner Saga, and yet their legal opposition to our trademark filing remans. We’re humbled by the outpouring of support and honoured to have others stand with us for the right to their own Saga. We just want to make great games."

King has also filed to trademark the word "candy" in video games – a move that has swiftly been mocked by an candy-themed indie game jam.