What is Katamari amore?

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 28 March, 2011

Trademarks suggest series return.

New trademark filings suggest quirky collection series Katamari is set for a return.

Two filings, one for Katamari amore and another for Katamari amore Rolling Whopper, were spotted by Siliconera.

Both trademarks were registered last Friday by Namco Bandai for use in Europe.

The last Katamari game was 2009's Katamari Forever, released on PlayStation 3 and recipient of a Eurogamer 7/10.

Series creator Keita Takahashi quit publisher Namco Bandai last year after 11 years working for the company.

"The reason why I quit Namco was because I started to feel like I didn't belong there any more," Takahashi told Eurogamer.

"The games I was making were not necessarily the best-selling ones. I realised Namco was, as a business, going down a bit.

"Also, my colleagues were leaving to do another project. I started to feel like I didn't belong there any more."

Takahashi directed three games during his time with Namco Bandai: Katamari Damacy, sequel We Love Katamari and Noby Noby Boy, but his original Katamari game spawned the release of five sequels.

While Takahashi's games have enjoyed critical acclaim they have failed to find commercial success. Why? "Maybe because they're not so interesting," a downbeat Takahashi replied.

After leaving Namco Takahashi set up a new company, called uvula, with his composer wife Asuka Sakai.

Namco Bandai told Eurogamer this morning it had no comment to make.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (14) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Cronan #1 1 year ago

    "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's .. Katamari Amore!"
    (la-la-la!)

  • tomjoadsghost #2 1 year ago

    I'm stuck between: 'that's enough let it die' and 'ooh, katamari 3DS'.

    Probably verging towards the former the PSP and 360 version were pretty disappointing (which is why i haven't tried the Ps3 one)

  • DreadedWalrus #3 1 year ago

    Both trademarks were registered by Namco Bandai for use in Europe last Friday.

    So they've already missed their chance to use them?

    *gets coat*

  • JoeGBallad #4 1 year ago

    Love all the katamari games, even the psp one. Hope there's more coming our way soon. The end of the ps3 one brought a tear to my eye.

  • NimbusTLD #5 1 year ago

    Amore = love in Italian :) Prince breeding game?

  • PixelPirate #6 1 year ago

    I love Katamari, but the people making the game in Takahashi's place, dont seem to understand that its all a comment on society and how we always want more, more, more (hence the rolling EVERYTHING up).

    They just churn out a facsimile of the previous version with little thought about how you could run with this idea in different directions :-(

  • charming_fox #7 1 year ago

    PixelPirate is right on the money, the charm's been lost a long time ago which sucks big time because Katamari games were simply wonderful.... but then again, what do I know, apparently I'm a CUNT... as are you!

  • Phishfood #8 1 year ago

    So how did Takahashi's playground in Nottingham turn out?

  • Rufus #9 1 year ago

    @tomjoadsghost

    Same here. I absolutely love the franchise but I think it's run its course now.

    For what it's worth, Katamari Forever is a good game. It's basically a HD collection of levels (and mini games) from previous entries but it's lost quite a lot of the humour from Katamari Damacy/We Love Katamari in the process.

    There is a demo available on PSN, give that a try.

  • Toothball #10 1 year ago

    @tomjoadsghost

    Yeah, it would have been better for them to have let it rest after the second. We Love Katamari managed to include enough novel ideas to keep it entertaining, but the series just seems to have repeated since then.

    I think the next Namco executive who suggests that they need another Katamari game should be made to finish the Rose level. Then if they still want another one after that they can have one. I'm pretty sure they'd be done at that point too, as once you finish that level you have officially rolled up enough stuff.

  • Mister-Wario #11 1 year ago

    "The games I was making were not necessarily the best-selling ones".

    A pity, because the Katamari games were initially brilliant. I'm playing the PSP version now. I'm intrigued to see what this new entry will be.

  • TruWari3r #12 1 year ago

    Missed opportunity to ask what http://www.uvula.jp/ their upcoming videogame project is.
    Edited by TruWari3r at 28/03/11 @ 14:24

  • JoeGBallad #13 1 year ago

    @Rufus I thought the humour and general atmosphere of the previous games was abundant in Katamari Forever, and not just because half the levels were the same. For example, the Roboking's sad monologue's before every level were a perfect, blackly humourous counterpoint to the King's usual OTT unashamed self-worship. Some of the were laugh out loud moments for me. And then, after completing the game and waking the King, Roboking's intros all get re-written to talk about his fear of just getting destroyed and thrown in the bin. Brilliant writing.

  • JoeGBallad #14 1 year ago

    @Rufus I thought the humour and general atmosphere of the previous games was abundant in Katamari Forever, and not just because half the levels were the same. For example, the Roboking's sad monologue's before every level were a perfect, blackly humourous counterpoint to the King's usual OTT unashamed self-worship. Some of the were laugh out loud moments for me. And then, after completing the game and waking the King, Roboking's intros all get re-written to talk about his fear of just getting destroyed and thrown in the bin. Brilliant writing.