Gamers of a certain vintage will remember the excitement of powering on the original PlayStation. But perhaps the only thing cooler than that deep startup sound and original 3D logo was when both were then followed by the Psygnosis logo.
Games such as Psybadek, Overboard and, most famously, WipEout, were produced by the UK developer in the 90s before it was swallowed up by Sony and rebranded Studio Liverpool. But it seems Psygnosis, and its super-cool owl logo could be making a comeback. (Looking for inspiration? Check out our guide to logo design.)
Coolest video game logo ever? (Image credit: Psygnosis)
Eagle-eyed gamers have spotted that Sony has renewed the 1998 trademark filing for the Psygnosis logo, leading to speculation that the logo – and perhaps even the brand itself – could make a return. After Studio Liverpool was shut down, the team reformed as VR company Firesprite – but could the old name be coming back? (If VR's your thing, check out the latest Oculus Quest Pro rumours.)
Alas, there's a chance the filing means very little. As EuroGamer reports, the filing was last renewed in 2012, and it's common practice to keep these things protected. But at the very least, its resurfacing has given gamers the chance to revisit one of gaming's coolest logos – a far cry from the sleek and minimal world of today's flat design.
"Such an epic logo," one user Tweets, while another adds, "Best logo and best freaking name EVER." It's perhaps unsurprising to note that the logo was designed by Roger Dean, an artist best known for prog-rock album covers. "No other box-art slapped you in the face for attention harder than Psygnosis games of the eighties and nineties," says Little Bits of Gaming, and the logo itself is definitely in the same spirit.
While the Psygnosis name and logo probably aren't heading for a comeback, it's still a treat to revisit the striking design – that owl face could make even the best logos of all time look dull. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're off for a game of WipeEout.
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Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.
