Konami's recent history of unexpected moves continues.
While Capcom is busy digging into their own past for franchises to revive, Konami seems to be taking a page from another studios' history book.
NeoGAF user Rösti recently discovered that Konami has filed a trademark request for the TurboGrafx name. The request (which can be viewed on the United States Patent and Trademark Office's website) covers a variety of individual properties, but all of them are somehow related to former TurboGrafx hardware and software.
Currently, their request is under review.
This move is slightly bizarre. The TurboGrafx didn't exactly set the world on fire even though some of the individual games featured on the consoles did go on to achieve at least cult classic status. NeoGAF user Rösti did note that Konami already controls the rights to several Hudson Soft (a principal partner on the TuroGrafx) properties, meaning that they should already have access to some of the studio's licenses. It's possible that an acquisition of this scope could be made solely so Konami can expand the extent of their holdings.
There are other possibilities. Konami could always do something really crazy and build Pachinko machines based on old TurboGrafx games, but the nature of the request suggests that this may be used for slightly more traditional purposes. A collection of games is always possible, but the most intriguing option is that Konami may be interested in producing a TurboGrafx reproduction similar to the NES Classic Edition.
While the TuroGrafx doesn't have nearly the same name value in America as the NES does, the classic console still holds a place in the heart of many old-school Japanese gamers who made the system a minor success in its native country. Konami has shown that they are perfectly willing to release region-specific software and devices, so it's not entirely unreasonable to suggest that they would be willing to make a Japanese exclusive collection console.
