Source: A filing with the Japanese Patent Office, unearthed by Siliconera.

　　What we heard: If Clover Studios had to go, Okami represented a fine swan song. The studio, which formed in 2004 under a number of Japanese gaming industry heavyweights, was shut down by Capcom in October 2006, not a month after the acclaimed action adventure saw release for the PlayStation 2 in the US. That game was ported to the Wii in 2008, courtesy of God of War: Chains of Olympus developer Ready at Dawn.

　　It now appears as if the Okami franchise may live on beyond its Wii port, if a relatively new trademark filing with the Japanese Patent Office is any indication. As first spotted by Siliconera and translated by GameSpot, Capcom filed to trademark the term Okamiden with the JPO in July 2009 (application no. 2009-051624). In its description, items ranging from video game software to mobile phone straps and collectible trading cards could be covered by the trademark.

　　Unfortunately, the trademark filing does not offer any additional details. However, with the Tokyo Game Show set to run September 24-27, Capcom still has a substantial venue yet open to it to make the reveal.

　　The official story: Capcom had not returned requests for comment as of press time.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: With so little information to go on, this one's bogus for now. However, Capcom certainly has the option open, even if it did shut down the studio that made the well-received original.