Xenko: help us find a new name/logo for the engine! (if we have to rename)

#1

We’ve been trying to join a non-profit (NPO) during the last 6 months (which I was originally hoping to make a nice surprise announce a few months ago)
Sadly it just keeps dragging on for months, and we’re now in a deadlock between the various entities involved due to the Xenko trademark. Sadly I can’t go into all the details (NDA).

Somehow I have got a feeling it might be wiser to just rename the engine and put that behind us.
This will probably require a week or two of work once the name + logo is decided.

While the renaming is not completely decided yet, I would like to be more transparent and involve the community this time.
So in the case it goes through, I would like to ask for name and logo proposals!

Some requirements:

  • Need something available as a domain and SNS (twitter etc.), so probably a made up word (like Xenko) works best.
  • Logo probably better to be single color/flat so we can keep various color variants like we do today.
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#2
#3

Oh, all this legal stuff is really tiresome if you just want to develop and move on…

From my personal perspective, if possible, I would try to keep the name. It’s short and quite unique on search engines.

A rename would lose all internet history, search results and links. Also namespaces, repositories and potentially method names in code would have to change and that’s quite some work users would have to do in their current projects… I’d be very careful with that and only do it if it’s absolutely necessary.

However, a logo redesign with a new look might freshen up Xenko’s appearance while it keeps the required workload to a minimum…

That said, I’d still be interested in what names and logos people come up with. So don’t be bothered by my concerns and shoot away… :slight_smile:

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#4

Agree, I will try to avoid if possible (probably by keeping status quo and not joining NPO)

#5

The legal stuff is really tiresome, which is what renaming is meant to alleviate. We could really benefit from moving on and getting back to development by performing a rename.

Xenko’s history is pretty minor in comparison to say, Unity or Unreal. A new name should have been picked when the project went open source, so it would be easier to break away from the commercial history.

Unity and Unreal have very easy to remember, purposeful names. Unreal makes you think what it can achieve is “unreal”. Unity is many things coming together (indies, AAA, mobile, asset store etc.)… Xenko means… uhhh? What? Was it Zenko? Xanco? Xenco? It is just some random word with legal issues, the only benefit being it is unique and is previously associated with the engine (which isn’t much of a benefit).

I recommend a strong, purposeful low-syllable name like Unreal and Unity. I also think we have to consider our small developer footprint and turn it into a positive. The first suggestion that comes to mind:

Focus Engine.

The “Focus” engine isn’t trying to be everything for everyone (e.g. Godot / Unity), but focusing on the things indie developers need to work the most: performance, stability, ease of use etc. You could even make FOCUS an acronym:

Free
Open Source
C#
U…
S…

Need some help on the last two letters, but that is a pretty good, relevant start.

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#6

For the logo, you could imagine the O in Focus to be a sharp looking eye. Maybe even get a # in the C referring to C#.

#7

http://sharpengine.org/

#8

Might that be confused with UrhoSharp?

… which is advertised as a 3D engine, even has an X logo which might confuse people with previous "X"enko engine ties.

#9

Vulkan forges the invisibility helmet of Hades Engine.
:stuck_out_tongue:

#10

Well… just thinking out loud…

Can the NPO be formed separately without the ties explicitly to Xenko and still achieve its goals? Like this NPO maintains -> this code base?

Why does the NPO need tied to the Xenko trademark?

A rename will reset progress (and Silicon Studios) the community has made on getting the engine out there. I think it will take quite a bit to recover, I imagine there was also an setback when it was Paradox.

If I understood more the drive to move to an NPO maybe it would make more sense.

I will support the engine though even if we have to rename it… already on the boat with the rest of you. :crazy_face:.

Naming and branding are huge, they can make or break products.

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#12

The best names already exist.Source would be the best name for me.
Infinity Engine (Infinite can’t).

Suggested Names:
With “U” - Unic (mean unique/unequaled/unmatched)
Ultimate Engine
Unium
With U already have several

Quantum Engine

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#13

found this by accident, is there any trivia behind it? :slight_smile:

#14

How about Xensphere… Keeping Xen as an ancestral artifact… “sphere” as all encompassing. xensphere.com/org is avaliable.

Hap

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#15

No idea how the trademark business works. I would have thought that since Xenko is opensource licenses, this would not matter anymore.

  • How many or what kind of legal issues could the name ‘Xenko’ cause in the future?
  • Although I think renaming would in the long run be a good choice, for now it just doesn’t seem to be worth the time. There many other things that could use Xen2’s valuable time I think. Currently joining an NPO doesn’t seem to outway the legal issues with Silicon.
  • Whatever choice is made, I wont stop me using the engine. For now unfortunately this does holds me back on making videos. I will keep focus on improving the written documentation for now.

I like the SharpEngine name. Short and packs a bit of power.

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#16

http://sharpengine.com/cgi-sys/defaultwebpage.cgi

taken…

#17

.org is free, xenko is not commercial anymore…

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#18

You really want to own both the .org and .com else it will lead to confusion… IMHO.

#19

I would use .net and .io for a non-profit. Let .com and .org to for-profit entities.

#20

Those are relatively cheap to own yet I would still take the .com and .org just to settle any confusion or downright deception.

#21

Sharp Engine does have a certain amount of noticeably to it. Its a bit easier to remember off hand as well.

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