Mojang Granted Use Of "Scrolls" Name By Bethesda

Mojang, the company behind wildly popular game Minecraft, were being sued by Bethesda Softworks over the title of Mojang's next game, titled "Scrolls". Bethesda argued that the title was too similar to "The Elder Scrolls", and a legal tumble followed. Soon after, Notch, the head of Mojang, declared that Bethesda and Mojang should settle their differences with a Quake 3 tournament, the winner taking the "Scrolls" name.

We don't really know if that ever panned out, but Ars Technica reports that not only have Mojang and Bethesda settled the trademark dispute, Bethesda have agreed to license out the "Scroll" name in a one-time deal with Mojang. Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, says:

ZeniMax has licensed the 'Scrolls' mark to Mojang to be used solely in conjunction with its existing Scrollsdigital card game and any add-on material it makes to that game. The terms of the settlement bar Mojang from using the Scrolls mark for any sequel to the current card game, or any other video game.

The phrasing of the agreement is strange: Mojang haven't announced a firm release date for the first game, let alone alluding to a sequel, but if that keeps ZeniMax and Bethesda happy, then so be it. Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax, went on to say that the company was pleased to have settled the situation with an amicable solution, adding: "The Elder Scrolls is an important brand to us, and with this settlement we were able to protect our valuable property rights while allowing Mojang to release their digital card game under the name they preferred."

Not much is known about Mojang's next game, with gameplay revolving around the use of scroll's to outmanoeuvre and defeat enemies. At this point in time there's no firm release date, and only a brief teaser of gameplay from a trailer released back in September. If you want to be notified of when Scrolls goes into Alpha release, head on over to the official website and plug your email in the relevant box.