Koei Tecmo Has Filed Trademarks For A Classic PlayStation RPG In Japan

In a brand-new filing, Japanese video game company Koei Tecmo has trademarked the names “Saiyuki” and “Journey West,” corresponding to the classic PlayStation 1 RPG. As reported by Gematsu, the developer filed for these trademarks on August 4 and because of them, many fans are assuming Saiyuki: Journey West is making a comeback in one form or another on the PlayStation.

Back in 1999, when Koei Tecmo was just Koei, the Japanese company released a tactical role-playing game for the first ever PlayStation. Titled Saiyuki: Journey West, this RPG was a very loose adaptation of the Chinese novel Journey to the West and follows a religious practitioner called Sanzo who travels to India from China and has many adventures along the way.

Originally, Koei Tecmo only released Saiyuki: Journey West in Japan but after two years in August 2001, the publisher also gave it a wide release in North America. Even though the RPG got a positive reception from critics, it wasn’t a major commercial success for the company and didn’t really move any needles after launching. 

GameSpot nominated Saiyuki: Journey West for the “Best Game No One Played” title at the Best and Worst of 2001 awards and that tells pretty much sums up the RPG’s reputation in the community. However, saying all that, it was still a great game that was a part of the original PlayStation’s game catalog and as a result, has since developed a cult following.

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Therefore, fans are pretty excited to see what happens with these trademarks Koei Tecmo has filed. Even though the RPG is known as Saiyuki: Journey West globally, the publisher released it simply as Saiyuki in Japan and that is probably the reason it has filed for two different trademarks. As of right now, there is no official news on what these filings will lead to, but fans have some ideas.

Some assume that a remake of Saiyuki: Journey West could be in the works at Koei Tecmo for the PlayStation 5 while others are predicting that the game is just going to become a part of the PlayStation Plus Premium Classic games catalog. However, one fan also guessed that this trademark renewal might just be a way to retain the rights to the RPG’s name.

Therefore, only time can really tell us what happens with these Saiyuki: Journey West trademarks. Hopefully, this isn’t just a meaningless approval but a hint at some reboot or remaster Koei Tecmo is working on.