A Tokyo-based pachinko and slot machine maker named Kita Denshi recently filed a trademark for a new, upcoming slot machine titled "Wheel of Fortune," which included a picture of the logo for the machine - a common practice when filing for trademarks and copyrights. However, once people got a look at said logo, some obvious questions began to arise, which can just be added onto the pile of video game gambling problems the industry has had this past year.
While it isn't identical, the logo shares some extremely obvious similarities to the beloved Square Enix RPG, Chrono Trigger. If Kita Denshi did deliberately copy the Chrono Trigger logo, one has to wonder why it decided to lift the design from one of the most beloved and famous RPGs of all time. After all, copying the logo of such an iconic video game is sure to draw some attention.
It is very common for media properties of all types to have slot machines, and other gambling-related paraphernalia, as anyone who has been to Vegas can attest to. So it isn't completely out of the realm of possibility that there would be a Chrono Trigger slot machine, though this Wheel of Fortune slot machine doesn't appear to be related to Chrono Trigger at all in any official capacity.
Meanwhile, the Western game show of the same name appears to have nothing to do with this Wheel of Fortune slot machine either, based on the trademark filing information. In fact, neither Square Enix nor Sony Pictures Television, the company that owns Wheel of Fortune along with other famous game shows like Jeopardy, appear anywhere in the documentation. It's unclear at this time if any legal action will be taken by Square Enix or Sony Pictures Television against the Kita Denshi for the Wheel of Fortune slot machine.
This isn't the first time that slot machines and the video game industry have mingled this year. In 2016 Konami came under fire from fans when it released a Metal Gear Solid Pachinko machine. Gambling machines like slot and pachinko often draw the ire of fans, especially when they're of neglected franchises like Metal Gear Solid. It is bad enough when these are released as officially licensed products, let alone when another company is trying to piggyback off the good name, or image in this case, of such an iconic series.
Chrono Trigger is out now for various platforms.
Source: Kotaku