As spotted by Siliconera, Nintendo has recently registered two Japanese trademarks that appear to be related to the cult classic Dreamcast title, Seaman.
Neither of the two trademarks (Mysterious Pet: Legend of the Fish With A Human Face and Mysterious Partner: Legend of the Fish With A Human Face) directly mention the 2000 virtual pet simulator by name, however, both of them reference a fish that has a “human face.” In the entire history of the video game industry, Seaman is pretty much the only intellectual property that we can think of that fits that specific (and slightly creepy) description.
For now, the Seaman connection to the two trademarks should be considered nothing more than speculation, however, don’t be surprised if Nintendo does revive the IP in the near future.
Back in February 2012 the online edition of Nikkei reported that Nintendo was working on bringing Seaman to the 3DS. The Big N later responded that the report was “mixing information with no context,” and using a “gossip-magazine style tactic” combined with “incorrect information,” however, they stopped short of discounting the entire article.
In addition to Nintendo’s soft denial, the other recent mention of the IP comes from its creator, Yoot Saito. In June 2012, Saito tweeted a picture of one of the fish-men dressed like Santa, along with the message: “it’s about time that he begin thinking about the end of the year”. Obviously, nothing Seaman related happened last year, but the recent trademarks seem to suggest that the tweet was more than simple trolling.
We will keep our eyes open for any official word on the two trademarks, and let you know as soon as Nintendo reveals whether or not they are related to Seaman. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts on the potential return of the Dreamcast classic in the comments below.
