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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Indie Game Developer Announces Return of Iconic “Tengen” Trademark
Tengen Games’ Debut Title is Available for Purchase Immediately
Missouri, United States, July 9, 2024 – A new independent game developer announced today that it’s in the final stages of registering the long-abandoned “Tengen” trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, setting the stage for one of the 8-bit era’s most controversial brand names to make its return.
Tengen Games is a new video game studio founded in 2024 by indie game developer Jeff Silvers. Inspiration for the name will be obvious to retro gaming fans: the original Tengen Inc., founded in 1987, earned a reputation as mavericks who refused to work within unfair third-party licensing restrictions. Tengen Inc. went defunct in 1994, and for the next three decades, their famous unlicensed black cartridges influenced Jeff Silvers' belief that gaming has no gatekeeper.
On a whim, Silvers conducted some research in 2022 and discovered that nobody owned the Tengen name. Recognizing a unique chance to pay tribute to one of his formative influences, Silvers began the process of registering the "TENGEN" trademark, receiving a "Notice of Allowance" from the United States Patent and Trademark Office in March 2024. “Even without any official connection to the original company,” Silvers promises, “Tengen Games will carry forth that same spirit of uncompromised creative expression.”
Today, Tengen Games is set to make its official debut in the gaming industry with the launch of Zed and Zee, an 8-bit arcade-style platformer developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). In Zed and Zee, players control two advanced androids who rebel against their creator, Dr. Otto Matton, when they learn that their purpose is to help him take over the world. Now they must run, jump, and stomp through six colorful worlds populated with relentless plasma tanks, flying luchador masks, unpredictable robo-frogs, and more! Zed and Zee features solo and cooperative play, password saves, and a two-player versus mode. It is available for purchase now as a Windows PC game or as a genuine NES cartridge at tengengames.net/zedandzee.
For information about Tengen Games, visit tengengames.net.
Tengen Games is an independent video game development studio founded in 2024 by Jeff Silvers. It focuses on providing high-quality gaming experiences that merge design influences from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras with quality-of-life beats taken from modern gaming. Tengen Games made its official debut in July 2024 with Zed and Zee, an arcade-style action platformer developed for the beloved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Featuring fast-paced one- or two-player cooperative play, vibrant cartoon-style graphics, and six unique worlds filled with an assortment of colorful baddies, Zed and Zee serves as a statement of intent for Tengen Games' position in the industry: we produce timeless, high-caliber works that would not seem out of place in any generation of gaming.
Inspiration for the Tengen Games name came from Tengen Inc., a company founded in 1987 that earned a reputation as mavericks who refused to work within unfair third-party licensing restrictions. Tengen Inc. went defunct in 1994, and for the next three decades, their famous unlicensed black cartridges influenced Jeff Silvers' belief that gaming has no gatekeeper. In 2022, after learning that the "Tengen" trademark was abandoned and no longer owned by anybody, Silvers seized on a unique opportunity to pay homage to one of his formative influences. He applied for ownership of the trademark and was granted a "Notice of Allowance" by the trademark office in March 2024. The "Tengen" trademark is now in the final stages of registration.