Developer Hazelight has been forced to abandon their trademark.

The stellar co-op title, It Takes Two, has been caught up in a trademark claim from Grand Theft Auto's parent company, Take-Two Interactive. It Takes Two is the latest release from Hazelight, the studio founded by Josef "Fuck the Oscars" Fares.

It Takes Two is a widely acclaimed co-op puzzle adventure title that focuses on parents who are getting divorced. Putting it that way is really doing the game a disservice. Just trust me when I say that the game is amazing. The problem is that It Takes Two was hit with a trademark claim shortly after it was released earlier this year.

As a result of this trademark claim, Hazelight has been forced to abandon ownership of the name.

A public statement issued by Hazelight says that the company does not comment on ongoing disputes. However, they say that the team is "hopeful it will be resolved." No word was given on whether this had any impact on the studio's ability to sell or market their game.

It Takes Two is just one of many trademark and copyright claims that were filed from publisher Take-Two. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a full list of all claims filed by Take-Two over the past several years. You have to go all the way to the fourth page to see every dispute and claim filed by Take-Two just throughout 2021 alone.

Take-Two seems to have really upped their claim amounts in recent years. They are responsible for filing dozens of claims against businesses both large and small that use the words "rockstar," "rock star," "rockstars," "social club," "mafia," "civilization," "bully," and more. Some of the filings are against places, businesses, or titles like Rockstar Axe Throwing, Think Like a Rock Star, Rock Star Kitchen, Inside the Mafia, and even Bully Free World.

A few of these claims have been disputed while others have simply opted to abandon their trademark after Take-Two's legal claim. Just in the past three months, Take-Two has filed extension requests for 25 challenges. According to lawyer Richard Hoeg, this is a figure that most other game companies reach after 6 to 7 years, not three months.

Take-Two's legal team has also been busy going after fans and mod creators as of late. Their legal department has gone after numerous fan-created Grand Theft Auto mods and projects in the lead-up to the release of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition.