Diablo 3 Will be a Blizzard Quality Product

Although they are best known for only a handful of franchises, developer and publisher Blizzard has never shied away from juggling several projects at a time. With World of Warcraft still going strong and Diablo 3 receiving its first expansion, not to mention a new StarCraft 2 expansion in the works, you could say that Blizzard keeps plenty busy.

Still, every now and again new rumors surface that suggest Blizzard has a new game in the works. Most of the time those rumors turn out to be nothing, but considering this is one of the biggest and most beloved developers in the business it's always worth laying out the facts.

With that in mind, we bring word that Blizzard has trademarked the term 'Overwatch' for use in everything from software to PC gaming peripherals. The trademark was filed with the USPTO just this past week, and just recently discovered by Player Attack.

Obviously, the trademarking of a term is not an outright clue that a new game is in development, but usually it means something is brewing. And given the tone of a name like Overwatch, it might be safe to assume this trademark is not connected to a pre-existing Blizzard property.

Player Attack surmises that the trademark could be a clue towards the first project for Mike Booth, who recently joined Blizzard from Turtle Rock (Left 4 Dead). We could certainly see a first person shooter titled Overwatch.

At the same time, though, a first person shooter doesn't exactly gel with Blizzard's current direction. For the most part, the developer has dealt in the realm of fantasy, and used fantastical elements to bolster various experiences. Hearthstone, for example, is a virtual collectible card game that leverages familiar elements from the Warcraft universe.

At this point, any news will simply be speculation as Blizzard never confirms rumors and they only make new game announcements when they feel the time is right (i.e. at a Blizzcon event). Still, the fact that they have trademarked the term Overwatch is something to keep an eye on, and maybe we'll eventually find out what it means.

What do you think Overwatch might be? Would you like to see something completely different from Blizzard?

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Source: USPTO (via Player Attack)