HellSign is an investigative action RPG that pits you against the horrors of the afterlife, let loose on a small town. As a Hunter, you’ll plan, hunt, and kill to pay the bills and get revenge on the monster that butchered your family. Just remember - a smart hunter is always prepared.

You're a Hunter, the last line of defense between our world and the savage creatures that lurk just outside. By investigating the world around you and reading the evidence you’ll learn more about what you’re hunting and how to kill it. Use your wits, your experience and your arsenal of monster-hunting tools to rid the world of ghouls, ghosts, demons and everything that goes bump in the night - for the right price of course.

You've been tracking a bloody trail across rural Australia for almost a decade, following the beast that took your family. Your hunt has led you to the small town of Windsor Heights. Ever since the reopening of Ravenhall Manor, townspeople have started to go missing and strange sightings have been recorded around the town.

Woken up with the vague memory of having died the night before in a drug-induced state of delirium while on a dangerous job. There is a fresh brand upon your skin, a brand you do not remember but which causes you great unease. You find yourself following a bloody track where strange sightings have been recorded, from spectral women beckoning people into the fog, to spiders as large as wolves, Australia is a dangerous place to live in…

Australian indie developers Ballistic Interactive have today announced via a new trailer that, due to a trademarking issue, their supernatural roleplaying game Hellhunter will now be known as HellSign.

The name change comes after the studio discovered that their childhood heroes Rebellion Developments - creators of Alien vs Predator and Sniper Elite - had trademarked the phrase 'hell hunter' in January 2017.

Ballistic Interactive's Pete Skyking said: "We looked into trademarks early in development. But as we were on a small indie budget, and found that many successful indie games didn't have a trademark on launch, we decided to take the risk and instead put the money toward making a better game. Unfortunately, when we finally did decide to trademark, we found that 'hell hunter' had been trademarked by Rebellion. We took legal advice and were told this would be a problem."

However, despite being forced into a name change, Skyking is keen to sing Rebellion's praises - after their small team reached out to Rebellion, and ended up talking to Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley directly about the matter.

Skyking said: "Given the sticky situation, Jason was awesome. He not only personally replied to us, but handled it like a boss! He was open to working something out and helping us through the situation - but unfortunately, at the end of the day, as indies operating out of our savings our only two options were to change our name, or cut content. Needless to say, we had to change the name."

Alex Tutty, head of the Computer Games Department at London law firm Sheridans, said: "My advice to indies would be to perform a search on the trademark registers - they're all online. Do it as soon as you think of a name. Then do it before you release. If you've got a really good name, and you want a line in the sand, look at getting a registered trademark in a respected but cheap territory - we've done it for lots of studios in the UK, and you can go through the whole process for around £500 including legal fees."

With this episode behind them, Ballistic Interactive are now focused on finishing development on HellSign, which is due to release via Steam later in 2018. "Most of all, we want to thank our community for the constant support and kind words," he added. "You are the reason we are still moving forward towards making the best game we can - and we can't wait for you to enjoy it!"

Key Features:

• A hardcore single player hunting game centralized around investigating and hunting supernatural enemies.
• Dark & unique art direction, using light & shadows to create a mysterious haunting atmosphere, with carefully tailored animation bringing the game to life.
• Procedural level generation, mixed with dynamic clue and enemy generation makes for a massively replayable experience. Clues are logically scattered around the level which the player has to find and decipher.
• Start your journey with a flickering torch, rusty gun and a whole lot of guts. Complete jobs to develop your skills and learn more about the monsters that haunt the night. Develop your character and build your arsenal through a detailed RPG and job system. Become an elite hunter and get your revenge.
• Contrasting gameplay starts with careful investigation involving stealth, but progresses to fast paced intense combat by the end of a job.
• From shotguns and booby traps, to silver nitrate rounds and high tech gadgets - there are many tools in your arsenal that can help you fight the darkness. Choosing what to bring with you, and when to use it can be the difference between victory and a grizzly defeat.

HellSign's story is being written by novelist C. Michael McGannon, co-author of the Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters series of young adult novels, and is one half of the humorous, father/son duo known as The Monster Guys, mixing humor, folklore, and all manner of comedic improv to special events. His other titles include: KAOS Obsidere: The Nightmare Has Begun (Dark Waters Press); Hollow World: Escape From Limbo (vol. 1) & Hollow World: The Thief’s Sacrifice (vol. 2) (Incendia Books); and, Yokai Tales: Stories From Japan’s Grand & Mysterious Tradition of Folklore (Incendia Books).

An expert in all things “monster,” Mr. McGannon brings an “academic humor” to the subjects of folktales, urban legends, and storytelling. Michael is a fan of stories, of libraries, of books, of Japanese and British humor, and of ginger beer and dark chocolate. When not writing or attending conventions, he is usually recovering from all-night gaming excursions.