Microsoft just filed a new trademark, and everyone thinks it relates to Minecraft.
Earlier in March, Microsoft filed a trademark for something called 'Ender Dragon (opens in new tab).' Right now, Microsoft has merely filed for the trademark, and hasn't actually had it approved, although it does explicitly relate to "entertainment services" such as "computer games."
Over on the Reddit (opens in new tab) post where the new filing was uncovered, users are speculating what it could mean. "I hope this Ender Dragon will be in Minecraft as a boss that you fight in a new dimension called The End" jokes one Reddit user, kidding that the entire thing is admittedly wishful thinking.
The Ender Dragon does, of course, already exist. It's a mob boss in Minecraft that can only be fought in one dimension where it spawns, and is generally considered by many to be Minecraft's "final boss," if that's even a thing, due to the fact that text pops up on the screen after you've slain the beast.
It's a little odd that Microsoft would file a new trademark application for something that already exists in one of their own games. It could be that the company is readying some sort of Ender Dragon-related expansion for Minecraft, in which case it'd make sense to be the sole owner of the naming rights of the creature.
Other Reddit users point out that this could well be related to Minecraft Legends, which is out in around a month from now on April 18. The strange strategy-like spin-off offers a fully co-op campaign for commanding critters around a battlefield, or you can fight your friends in online PvP. Could the Ender Dragon have some huge presence in the new Minecraft spin-off?
Check out our Minecraft Legends preview from earlier this year to
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