Hi everyone! I've almost finished making my second game, and I'm wondering what the rules are related to naming the game. Currently, the name I've chosen is Gravity Shift, but I've had a look online and I see a flash game with the same name. So what I want to know is if it would be a bad idea to use this name, or if its ok since theres no other games like it in the app store, and because its just a free flash game? Also as a side note, my game is completely different, as its a space shooter, as supposed to the physics matching puzzler that this flash one is. So I don't want to run into any problems using the same name if its bad, but also it would be good to avoid having to think of a new name, as thats not something I'm very good at! Thanks for any advice!
You've done some checking for existing names, which is a good start. Have you checked the online trademark databases to see if there is any formal protection of the name? That could make the choice of avoiding a name very easy. Even so, it is better to avoid any existing names otherwise trouble may be ahead. I say this as someone who has gone through many names for a board game over the last 8 years. I had one company who were going to bring the physical game to market, and another the video game versions. The video game company backed out after an objection in Germany to the trademark we had come up with. They decided they had sunk enough time and money in, and didn't want to start that process again. You may not have the same issues as you are doing it yourself, but look at the problems the Edge game had on the App Store, then imagine how much worse it could have been if the complainant had an active trademark and was acting properly.
