I’ve been stubborn about keeping the name Nocturne for a decade, even when many people have advised otherwise. But now the launch is getting close, I’ve had to make the difficult decision to change the name. Here’s why:

In 1999 a survival horror game called Nocturne released. This should have been the moment I decided to scrap the name and pick something else, but I figured the game was released long enough ago that it wouldn’t get confused for my game.

Then there was the League of Legends hero called Nocturne. For the longest time if you googled “Nocturne”, the LoL Wiki was the top result.

I was quite surprised when people started to ask if my game was related to Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. It seemed obvious these were unrelated games, but I wasn’t too worried until the Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Remaster released on Steam in 2021. Now searching for Nocturne on Steam got a bit more confusing.

And then in 2023, Castlevania released an animated series called Castlevania: Nocturne. This one stung even more, because one of the chapters in Nocturne used to be called “Symphony of the Night”. Suffice to say that chapter got renamed…

Now despite all of the above, I was still stubborn enough to push forward on the name Nocturne. I’d come this far, and people recognised the game, so changing it now would just create more confusion, right?

But then comes the legal aspect. As launch approaches, I’ve started to dig deeper into the legality of using the name Nocturne. I need to be confident that I’m not breaking any copyright laws or trademarks. It’s for this reason, ultimately, that I’ve had to accept that changing the name of the game is the only option.

Coming up with a new name is the hardest decision I’ve had to make. I need a name that reflects the story, the rhythm gameplay, and sounds exciting enough for people to want to play.

So with that, I’d like to formally announce the new official name of Nocturne…

Have a great 1st of April everyone!