Summary
Shared universes are more common now than they’ve ever been. Whether it’s Marvel, DC, orStar Trek, the world is not longing for good shared universes. But while this is relatively standard in films today, video games have a slightly less expansive track record with the concept.
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While Nintendo is able to easilyhave their characters appear togetherdue to the nature of their IP ownership, other properties have been brought together via acquisitions or mergers. Characters who were originally owned by one company became the property of another, leading to some developers having a bit of fun.
10Doom Is Connected To The World Of Wolfenstein And Quake
What started as the ancestor of B.J. Blazkowicz fighting a Cyberdemon fromDoominWolfenstein RPGhas become a kooky lineage of demon-killing space marines, one that has lurked in the background of id Software’s library after they were purchased by ZeniMax Media in 2009. This has led to the studio connectingDoom,Wolfenstein, andQuakeinto a fascinating shared universe of sorts.
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Through the Blazkowicz family line, it’s implied that multiple iterations of this surname go on to become space marines during the events of theDoomseries.This multiverse of demons and monsters is being expanded even as we speakwithQuake Champions, which has attempted to clean up some of the more messy lore by stating that heroes from across this universe can be called into arena battles together.
9Final Fantasy 7 And Final Fantasy 10 Might Share A World
As a whole, theFinal Fantasyseries has cultivated a series of distinct worlds via a multiverse of sorts.Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originhas cemented this even further. Though there are not many direct connections between theFinal Fantasygames, one of the more obvious ones is between7and10.
A character inFinal Fantasy 10known as Shinra discusses the Farplane as a potential energy source, one that he could harvest into some sort of energy. The implication that he goes on to create the Shinra Electric Power Company inFinal Fantasy 7seems to imply that the world of10, known as Spira, eventually becomes the cyberpunk dystopia world of Gaia from7.
8The Remedy Shared Universe Connects The Worlds Of Alan Wake, Control, And Max Payne
Remedy has slowly but surely built up a fascinating world to tell stories in. InAlan Wake, the lead character writes a series of detective novels starring Alex Casey, who bears a striking similarity toMax Payne. Casey is set to appear in the upcomingAlan Wake 2, where he will be voiced byMax Payneactor James McCaffrey and features the face of studio head Sam Lake.
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Meanwhile,Controltook steps to have characters from previous entries show up and even established the events ofAlan Wakeas being part of an Altered World Event that looks to lead directly into the sequel. A few scattered references toControlandAlan Wakeappear inQuantum Break, but its status as a Microsoft-owned IP makes its inclusion in the universe dubious at best.
WhenNinja Gaidenfirst came into prominence in the arcades and home consoles during the 1980s as a series of action-platformers, it grew up alongside another genre that was starting to take over - the fighting game. So as Tecmo was carving out its own section in the fighting game world withDead Or Alive, they kicked things off by havingNinja Gaidenstar Ryu Hayabusa as a playable character.
In the intervening years,Ninja GaidenandDead Or Alivehave seen characters like Ayane, Rachel, Kasumi, and more weave in and out of different games in the respective series. Though any sort of official timeline isn’t really available, implications about theNinja Gaidentrilogy from the 2000s taking place before theDead Or Alivegames create some fun lore for this universe.
6Grand Theft Auto Is Set In The Same Universe As Manhunt And Bully
As Rockstar’s games tend to be set within grounded, somewhat realistic worlds, the prospect of them being tied together becomes a bit more credible than most. This is exactly what has been transpiring, as Rockstar has done plenty to quietly link their multiple properties together. WhileL.A. Noireappears to potentially take place decades afterRed Dead Redemption, a few more obvious ones exist.
InGrand Theft Auto 3, a few radio stations refer to Carcer City, where the events ofManhunttake place. Additionally, inGrand Theft Auto 4, a television shows Bullworth Academy fromBully. These light references seem to tie all ofRockstar’s exquisite and cinematic examinations of crime and sintogether in a perfectly subtle way.
5Half-Life And Portal Share The Same Universe
Valve’s seminal first-person shooter has spawned numerous sequels, but the most intriguing aspect ofHalf-Lifeand its success has been its connections withPortal. Developed as a student project known as Narbacular Drop, it was seen by Valve, who turned it into what becamePortal. It didn’t take long for things to get funky, asPortal’s nefarious Aperture Science appears to be a rival toHalf-Life’s Black Mesa.
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Further, the two series are connected by a missing cargo ship known as the Borealis, one that was supposedly containing some sort of dangerous technology that the Combine was looking for. It was located by Judith Mossman in an arctic base, one that is briefly seen inHalf-Life 2: Episode One. Meanwhile, players can find the harbor of the vanished ship inPortal 2.
4Hideo Kojima’s Grand Shared Universe
Even though Hideo Kojima is hard at work onDeath Stranding 2, this isn’t the first time thatthe auteur game director experimented with shared worlds. InPolicenauts, a character named Meryl Silverburgh is shockingly similar to the one fromMetal Gear Solid, while a little robot named Metal Gear Mk. II seems to appear in bothSnatcherandMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots.
Snatcheralso features a nightclub called Outer Heaven and the re-release ofMetal Gear 2: Solid Snakefrom 2006 implies that Big Boss was a part of the Snatcher Project. In many ways, Kojima’s connections here feel like a multiverse of sorts, that these characters and situations potentially exist in an infinite sea of possible worlds and futures.
3Bomberman Becomes Lode Runner
Lode Runnerwas born out of a collaboration between Doug Smith and a couple of fellow students, who had their proposal for the project funded by Broderbund. After becoming successful in the arcades, Hudson Soft developed an NES version in 1984. A year later, in 1985, they would release an NES version ofBombermanand re-purpose an enemy sprite fromLode Runneras the main character.
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In that game,Bomberman’squest is to reach the surface as he bombs his way out of a slave factory to become human. Once he does, it becomes clear thatBombermanandLode Runnershare a bit of DNA. In fact,Bombermanserves as a prequel toLode Runnerand shows how one character became another.
2The Origin Systems Shared Universe
Origin Systems made a truly fascinating legacy as one of the most trusted and respected developers of the 80s and 90s. As a result of their enormous portfolio, it should be no surprise that Origin was up to some shenanigans during their time, with numerous connections.
SHODAN,the malevolent AIfromSystem Shock, is mentioned inCrusader: No Remorseand a Kilrathi ship fromWing Commandercan be found inUltima VII. A more direct connection can be found inUltima Underworld II, where a Kilrathi descendent makes a crystal clear connection to theWing Commanderseries.
1Ivalice Bridges The Final Fantasy Series Together
Consisting of multiple titles and spin-offs, theIvaliceseriesexists within a unique pocketof theFinal Fantasyseries, having been created by Yasumi Matsuno. First appearing inVagrant Storyfor the PlayStation 1, Ivalice has gone on to create its own little world that exists inside a much larger one.
Characters from the mainline series appear at various times duringFinal Fantasy Tactics, while the city of Lea Monde fromVagrant Storyis mentioned several times duringFinal Fantasy 12. Balthier fromFF12also appears inFinal Fantasy Tactics: War Of The Lions, further linking all of these cult-favorite RPGs.
