Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 abandoned?

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 may not go to war this year as previously expected. Publisher Ubisoft has abandoned both trademark applications it filed for the title (via Superannuation), suggesting the four-player World War II action shooter has been either canceled or renamed.

The game is currently scheduled to arrive by the end of June, but Ubisoft and Gearbox Software have been mum on the title as of late, with the latest official update on the game's Facebook page coming some nine months ago.

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 was announced during Ubisoft's media briefing at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo via a graphic bar-scene trailer, reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's World War II action drama Inglourious Basterds.

The first new installment in the Brothers in Arms franchise since 2008's well-received Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, Furious 4 takes place during World War II and follows a band of four soldiers chasing Hitler.

[UPDATE] After the publication of this story, a Gearbox Software representative explained that the Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 trademarks were abandoned to avoid "administrative confusion."

"Initially, Ubisoft submitted the trademarks on behalf of Gearbox with Gearbox and Ubisoft as co-applicants," reads a line from the statement. "The USPTO rejected this approach (about 9 months ago), noting Gearbox's exclusive registrations for all Brothers in Arms trademarks. Given the USPTO choice between abandonment or continued administrative confusion on the matter, we simply opted for administrative abandonment until re-filing becomes necessary. To avoid confusion with the USPTO, Gearbox will be filing its future Brothers in Arms-related trademarks directly and individually."