Game idea... definitely involves trademarked stuff... is there a path forward?

[Rainmaker]

I've got an idea for a board game/card game that my family and I have been playing around with various versions of for many years. The thought occurred to me to maybe try to make a real game out of it! But there's a problem...

The name of the game kinda hinges on the word "Jedi", and that is definitely trademarked. I don't even know how I would go about trying to engage Disney/Lucasfilm/etc. about it, or if it would be worth it. I also thought about changing the name, but the pun in the tagline is kinda the main attractive force in the game, it just wouldn't draw as much attention with any other name.

Anyway, maybe it's just a dead end, but curious if anyone has any input.

[SignOfZeta]

Not happening.

[Fubarius]

Make it a bit of a parody. Just swap the trademarked stuff for words that aren't. Jedi become Space Wizards. Lightsabers become Laser Swords. Droids become just Robots. Deathstar becomes Planet Destroying Laser Moon. Those in the know will get it, those who aren't, well they ain't the target audience.

[SignOfZeta]

If the game designed absolutely requires that it be the five trillionth price of Star War merch then the challenge is that merchandising rights in that category will already be tied up by some massive toy company. I have no idea what the modern version of “‘going to Toy Fair and showing my thing to a guy” is, I’d imagine building YouTube hype?

Regardless, my hunch is that if the game is actually good it would survive a thematic change to something new as suggested above. If the game %100 requires that Darth Vader be in it it’s probably not such a great game.

[scottieb]

And you can't change the name of the game to something like Jet-eye or Jed I.?

[GanonsGrin]

Jedi Clampett: Crude Moon

[Rainmaker]

Thanks for the input guys, i think I may have a work around, avoiding the "Jedi" name... I'm really contemplating giving this a shot, the 4 or 5 people i've run the idea past have said it could really be something. Plus my family who just really enjoy playing it. It's a little gimmicky, but it'll be a cheap game. If nothing else, i might have a hundred or so for sale in the BST section at some point, haha.

[scottieb]

I do a lot of board gaming and am excited for another one. Keep us up to date yeah?

[flyweightnate]

I'll look for it in the BST when it gets there - worst case, it gets played as much as my other good board games, best case, it dethrones Snakes and Ladders and I contemplate self harm less often