Nintendo has filed a new trademark application for Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi could be making a return.

As spotted by LetsGoDigital, Nintendo of America has filed a new trademark application for Mario & Luigi in South America.

According to the application's description, the Mario & Luigi trademark will be related to "computer game cartridges; game memory cards; computer game software; video game memory cards; interactive entertainment software to play video games; covers for mobile phones".

Of course, it's possible Nintendo is just trying to keep a tight grip on its own IP. But the timing of things is of interest. Mario & Luigi's original developer AlphaDream filed for bankruptcy late last year following poor sales of its 3DS release Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

The RPG series had been developed by AlphaDream for handheld platforms since 2003. But with a new trademark filed it seems Nintendo may not be done with the franchise after all.