Don't Expect A True Crime Sequel Anytime Soon

A True Crime sequel won't be happening. Activision has let the trademark expire for its once-popular action franchise, according to IGN.

"The trademark for True Crime (US serial number 78067332) was originally filed on Jun. 05, 2001," IGN reported. "However, as of Friday, December 19, 2014, a U.S. federal trademark for the name 'True Crime' by Activision Publishing, Inc was abandoned."

There were reports when Sleeping Dogs was released that the title was originally intended to be True Crime: Hong Kong. But Square Enix changed the title of the game when they took over its production.

"In August (of 2011)," Gamespot reported, "Square Enix picked up the rights to (Sleeping Dogs), with its London outfit managing development from then on."

This, however, has been disputed by other media outlets: IGN reported later in 2012 that Sleeping Dogs was never meant to be True Crime: Hong Kong.

"Speaking to Senior Producer Jeff O'Connell and Design Director Mike Skupa after a hands-on with Sleeping Dogs in Sydney," IGN reported, "it's discovered Sleeping Dogs was always intended to be an original IP from the beginning, before the project was absorbed by Activision to be part of the True Crime brand but subsequently dumped."

The last True Crime game was True Crime: New York City. Released in 2005 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube, the game currently holds a score of 60 on Metacritic.