Candy Crush dev prepares to fight The Banner Saga over trademark

King, developers of the phenomenally successful game Candy Crush Saga, is attempting to oppose  The Banner Saga's use of the word "saga' claiming it is "confusingly and deceptively similar" to game titles previously used by King.

Looking at King's gaming portfolio you will find (deep breath and prepare for sagas):

Candy Crush Saga, Pepper Panic Saga, Pet Rescue Saga, Papa Pear Saga, Pyramid Solitaire Saga, Bubble Witch Saga, Farm Heroes Saga, Bubble Saga, Hoop de Loop Saga, Mahjong Saga, and Puzzle Saga.
Candy Crush Saga is the big hitter here and a recent report suggested it was bringing in £2.1 million per day for King.
Where Candy Crush is a match three microtransaction-a-thon, The Banner Saga is a tactical RPG set in a Viking-esque fantasy world -- so far, so different. But this is a dispute over trademark rather than type of content.
The Banner Saga seeks to register its name and thus guarantee a certain level of legal protection for its business against anyone seeking to capitalise on its success by using similarly named games to piggyback off developer Stoic's success.
For King, the fact that its repeated use of the word "saga" in game titles predates the first use of The Banner Saga as detailed in the registration request, along with the fact that both King and Stoic's products are within the gaming industry, is enough to warrant opposing The Banner Saga's mark.
Business-wise, it makes sense. There is, however, the issue of goodwill. King recently had its filing to trademark the word "Candy" approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office in relation to things like gaming and clothing and began issuing developers with challenges where the company felt an app or game name infringed on its property. All Candy Casino Slots -- Jewel Craze Connect: Big Blast Mania Land was one such title.
Enforcement of King's rights as they relate to the word Candy will depend on the individual cases, but since Candy is a generic term the reaction to King claiming ownership of it (regardless of the limitations) has been hugely critical.
Looking at the Saga scenario, King's biggest game is a casual gaming microtransaction-focused behemoth. The Banner Saga is a beautiful fantasy world steeped in choice and buoyed up by goodwill evidenced through crowdfunding. Win or lose, it will be hard for King to escape this trademark challenge looking like the good guys.