Way back in 2016, there was a bit of a stir caused by Rockstar Games when it applied for a trademark entitled "Judas." Certainly not a known property for Rockstar Games already, Judas almost immediately lead to plenty of speculation as to what the name or codename was inferring. Now in 2020, Rockstar Games' parent company has once again renewed the trademark for the unknown project.
Some obvious theories and references come to mind, others a bit more obscure. There's the obvious biblical reference, or perhaps Judas serves as just as metaphor in regards to what the game may be. Along with that, it's also possible that Judas is simply a codename for an upcoming title as well. Of course, Rockstar Games and Take-Two has shown in the past that a trademark filing does matter to the publisher, and is a vague gauge as to the seriousness of the project. Overall, Judas still concretely remains a mystery, but there's a couple possibilities as to what Judas could represent.
The Judas Trademark
As mentioned previously, Rockstar Games registering the Judas trademark is technically old news. The trademark for the title Judas was already filed by Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, back in April of 2016. Now in 2020, Take-Two has re-filed for the same trademark, which once again has fans theorizing what "Judas" is in reference to. It's an understandable reaction, even if the trademark doesn't amount to a fully-fledged game in the near future. Take-Two and Rockstar Games have shown in the past with Agent that trademarks are important to the publisher, and can reflect the state of a game's development. Here's what that trademark may mean for Rockstar Games.
Rumored Medieval IP From Rockstar
Something that comes to mind primarily because of the biblical implications is the rumored Rockstar Games "medieval" IP that was rumored last year. Back in November 2019, a rumor started making the rounds on Reddit about a new medieval IP in development by Rockstar Games, meant to be the next project after Red Dead Redemption 2. Supposedly, this medieval game would be an open world adventure that would focus on dueling and sword fighting as a primary "mechanic." Considering the usage of the word "Judas" typically refers to a traitor of some kind, and assuming this medieval project is even real, it could be a revenge story of some kind for a knight/warrior. That being said, the original rumor about this project was, well, shaky at best. If it is real, it'd be the first new IP for Rockstar Games in years.
Judas Could've Been Born From Agent
Speaking of far-fetched, another possibility is that Judas may be the progression from the presumably cancelled Agent. Consider the timing between the lapsing of the Agent trademark and the renewal of the Judas trademark: the "Judas" trademark was filed just two years prior to the lapsing of the "Agent" trademark. Many have figured that Agent was silently cancelled and left behind thanks to the success of Rockstar's powerhouses like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. But, it's also possible that Judas is an amalgamation of key components that were previously part of the Agent project. It's very much a stretch, with almost no proof, but it is a slight possibility. Rockstar Games is notoriously silent about this kind of stuff, but if the company is willing to let Agent's trademark slide without so much as a mention, it's very possible whatever Agent was has become Judas instead.
A Potential Codename
Unless Rockstar Games wants to run into some controversy, which the company often does, it's most likely that Judas is potentially a codename for the true project. Either that or the name is subject to change over time, and Judas is just serving as a foundation for now. Plenty of games in development utilize codenames to maintain secrecy, Rockstar Games being no exception to this. A few leaks that came out a while back mentioned a project "Fiyero" in development by Rockstar Games, which was reportedly a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sequel. Fiyero was likely in reference to Grand Theft Auto Online DLC, though that was never confirmed. It's very possible Judas is a codename being used until the full game is ready for its debut, which knowing Rockstar is likely years away from now.
Again, since Rockstar Games is so impossibly secretive, there's no inkling or rumors to back up any existing rumors. Whatever Judas turns out to be, or doesn't turn out to be, it'll be interesting to see what's in store from the publisher. There is that slight possibility it's a new IP for the company, even though there hasn't been a new IP from Rockstar Games in years. Fans will just have to wait and see what's to come.