History BTeamSequel / VideoGames

*** The multiplayer-focused handheld entries of the sub-series were in turn outsourced to different developers, with ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' being developed by Creator/NintendoSoftwareTechnology and ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'' being handled by Creator/NextLevelGames.

* A-team Neversoft handed the keys to the ''VideoGame/TonyHawkProSkater'' series over to B-team Robomodo in 2007. The series was already the poster child for {{Sequelitis}}, but Robomodo managed to make it even worse by tying their debut effort, ''Tony Hawk Ride'', to [[{{Waggle}} a barely-functional skateboard peripheral]], resulting in record lows for the series in both review scores and sales. Ironically, Neversoft left its signature franchise to itself become a B-team, first for ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' and then briefly for ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' before being absorbed into Infinity Ward.

* When ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}'' creators Philip and Andrew Oliver decided to concentrate on developing games for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, Creator/{{Codemasters}} sought another developer to continue the series on home computers. Big Red Software's ''Magicland Dizzy'' went over well enough that Codemasters made Big Red their new A-team, and let them develop almost all subsequent ''Dizzy'' games aside from the few that the Oliver Twins coded for the NES. ''Crystal Kingdom Dizzy'', however, was assigned to another B-team, Visual Impact.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': The mainline installments and expansions, which are those developed for home systems, were created by a primary team at Capcom; the oddballs are ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'' and the expansions ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri 3 Ultimate]]'' and ''4 Ultimate'', which were released on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS[[note]]''3 Ultimate'' being available on the UsefulNotes/WiiU as well[[/note]] but also developed by them. The handheld installments and expansions (with the aforementioned exceptions), as well as ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'' which was released on the hybrid Platform/NintendoSwitch and later on PC and next-gen home consoles, were developed by a secondary team (usually led by Yasunori Ichinose). Some of the most beloved games in the series are in fact from the second group. Lastly, ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterFrontier'' was handled by yet another development team, and ran the game until the shutdown of their servers at the end of 2019.

** The [[VaporWare aborted]] UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn game ''VideoGame/SonicXTreme'', which was intended as the ''Sonic'' series' major leap into the third dimension, was developed by the Western-based Sega Technical Institute and was made with no involvement by Creator/SonicTeam at all, who were burned out on the series after making a quadrology of games for it, and were wrapped up working on the games ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}'', ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams'' and ''VideoGame/BurningRangers'' anyway. After ''X-Treme'' went through a [[TroubledProduction disastrous production]] that ended with both its cancellation and [[CreatorKiller the dissolution of the Sega Technical Institute]], Sega used ''[=NiGHTS=]'' and an [[PolishedPort upgraded port]] of the Traveller's Tales spin-off game ''VideoGame/Sonic3DBlast'' to fill in as the KillerApp for the Saturn while Sonic Team were forced to take the reigns back on the series, beginning work on a prototype 3D engine (later used for the Sonic World hub of ''VideoGame/SonicJam'') that would end up becoming the basis for Sonic's real 3D debut, ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''.

* The first ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'' game was published by Creator/{{Activision}} and developed by Raven Software, with Vicarious Visions helping with the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} versions. For the second game, it was more complicated: while all versions were once again published by Activision, the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 PS3]] and UsefulNotes/Xbox360 versions were developed by Vicarious Visions, while the Wii, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] and [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS DS]] ones were handled by N-Space, and the PSP one by Savage Entertainment.

** After ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', A-team developer Rocksteady wanted plenty of time to create the last game in the trilogy, ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight''. To keep the series going, WB Games Montreal was given a turn at the wheel with the prequel ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', using modified assets from the previous games. [[note]]Depending on game development, revamping the UsefulNotes/GameEngine takes up a good portion of development time. The goal was to keep ''Arkham Knight'' on the next gen consoles ([=PS4=], Xbox One) versus trying to split it between the previous gen ([=PS3=], Xbox 360), which meant they had to ensure it ran at optimal capacity for the next gen consoles. ''Origins'' is largely built on the prior games' framework, while Knight is essentially a new game rebuilt from the ground up.[[/note]] General consensus is the gameplay is too derivative of ''Arkham City'' but the story takes the series in an interesting direction.

** While Creator/KeijiInafune and his team at Creator/{{Capcom}} created the story and characters for ''VideoGame/MegaManX3'', most of the actual game development was palmed off to Minakuchi Engineering -- who had previously handled the line of ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy -- as Capcom were in the process of transitioning their development systems from 16-bit to 32-bit. The end result was generally considered to be fairly mediocre, though still better than the later, Capcom-developed ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX7 X7]]''.

** When the series emerged from a lengthy hiatus following its initial oversaturation and crash, Activision again handed the reins over to ''VideoGame/DJHero'' developers [=FreeStyleGames=] to reboot the franchise with ''VideoGame/GuitarHeroLive''.

* After A-team Harmonix was purchased by Viacom and left to develop ''VideoGame/RockBand'', the ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' franchise was purchased by Activision and given to B-team Neversoft starting with ''Guitar Hero III''.

* The ''VideoGame/FZero'' series has had a habit of jumping between various studios over the years. The first two games (''VideoGame/FZero1990'' and ''VideoGame/FZeroX'') were developed internally by Nintendo EAD before the Game Boy Advance reboot ''VideoGame/FZeroMaximumVelocity'' was handled by Creator/NDCube. The third game, ''VideoGame/FZeroGX'' (and its arcade counterpart ''F-Zero AX'') for the [=GameCube=], was passed off to {{Creator/SEGA}}'s Amusement Vision division, then both subsequent GBA sequels, ''VideoGame/FZeroGPLegend'' and ''VideoGame/FZeroClimax'' were handed to Suzak Inc. Finally, ''VideoGame/FZero99'', a BattleRoyaleGame version of the original ''F-Zero'', was developed internally by Creator/NintendoSoftwareTechnology.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': The mainline installments and expansions, which are those developed for home systems, were created by a primary team at Capcom; the oddballs are ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'' and the expansions ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri 3 Ultimate]]'' and ''4 Ultimate'', which were released on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS[[note]]''3 Ultimate'' being available on the UsefulNotes/WiiU as well[[/note]] but also developed by them. The handheld installments and expansions (with the aforementioned exceptions), as well as ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'' which was released on the hybrid UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and later on PC, were developed by a secondary team (usually led by Yasunori Ichinose). Some of the most beloved games in the series are in fact from the second group. Lastly, ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterFrontier'' was handled by yet another development team, and ran the game until the shutdown of their servers at the end of 2019.

* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'' not only changed developer once again but publisher as well. The game was published by Creator/{{Nintendo}} and developed by Team Ninja for a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch-exclusive release.

* The ''VideoGame/FZero'' series has had a habit of jumping between various studios over the years. The first two games (''F-Zero'' and ''F-Zero X'') were developed internally by Nintendo EAD before the Game Boy Advance reboot ''F-Zero Maximum Velocity'' was handled by Creator/NDCube. The third game, ''F-Zero GX'' (and its arcade counterpart ''F-Zero AX'') for the [=GameCube=], was passed off to {{Creator/SEGA}}'s Amusement Vision division, then both subsequent GBA sequels, ''F-Zero GP Legend'' and ''F-Zero Climax'' were handed to Suzak Inc. Finally, ''VideoGame/FZero99'', a BattleRoyaleGame version of the original ''F-Zero'', was developed internally by Creator/NintendoSoftwareTechnology.

[[folder:Puzzle]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Picross}}'' games are developed by Creator/JupiterCorporation, with the exception of the two ''Picross 3D'' games, which were instead developed by Creator/HALLaboratory.
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* Creator/{{Falcom}} did not develop the original versions of ''Ys IV'' beyond providing a basic scenario and a soundtrack. ''VideoGame/YsIVTheDawnOfYs'' and ''VideoGame/YsIVMaskOfTheSun'' were primarily developed outside the company and have considerable differences from each other. Falcom decided to canonize ''Mask of the Sun'' and later remade it in-house as ''Memories of Celceta''.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' falls square into this. Series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki supervised the production of the game, but most of his attention and that the original ''VideoGame/{{Dark Souls|I}}'' team was on making ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', which was in development around the same time. To add to this, the original director, Tomohiro Shibuya, left the project under uncertain circumstances (though it's been alleged that the original version didn't feel very much like a ''Souls'' game) and a new director took over from there, around the halfway point in production. This goes some way toward explaining why ''Dark Souls II'' is considered the weakest game of [[VideoGame/DarkSouls the franchise]] by many, though it still has it’ fans.

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' started at Creator/NaughtyDog for [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996 the]] [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack first]] [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped four]] [[VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing games]], then switched hands numerous times. ''VideoGame/CrashBash'' was developed by Eurocom. ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex'' and ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'' were developed by Creator/TravellersTales. ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart'' was by Vicarious Visions. ''VideoGame/CrashTagTeamRacing'', ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'' and ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'' were by Creator/RadicalEntertainment. ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'' brought development back to Vicarious Visions, followed by ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' by Beenox, and now ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' by Toys for Bob. And that's not even getting into the various handheld games.

** The Game Boy ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games (otherwise known as the ''Rockman/Mega Man World'' series) qualifies on its own, with ''I'' and ''III'' through ''V'' being developed by the aforementioned Minakuchi Engineering. While these games turned out to be respectable in their own right since the director assigned to them was a fan of the series and wanted to do it justice, the second game was developed by a B-team of the B-team--Biox (then Japan System House), whose programmers were used to working on the Game Gear and were relatively unaccustomed to the Game Boy's hardware, and on top of that knew very little about what makes the ''Mega Man'' series fun to play. The results show badly, and ''Mega Man II'' is generally viewed as the weakest of the Game Boy titles by far.

** Starting in 1999, Sega started commissioning a series of handheld 2D ''Sonic'' platformers developed by Creator/{{Dimps}}. They got their start as the B-team of ''Sonic'' with ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy Sonic Advance]]'' for the GBA, leading to a string of successful 2D ''Sonic'' games from 2001 to 2007 (quite notable in that the main Creator/SonicTeam-developed games were going through a notorious AudienceAlienatingEra towards the end of this period). However, this string ended with the underperformance of ''[[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Sonic Rush Adventure]]'' on the DS, and Sega relegated Dimps to [[ReformulatedGame making adaptations]] of Sonic Team's games for handhelds. Dimps was also tasked with creating ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'', which sadly turned out to be one of the most divisive 2D games in the series.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'': due to some misunderstandings between the creators (Piranha Bytes) and the publisher ([=JoWood=] Productions), the latter ended up taking away the rights to the series from the creators and gave them to two different studios: Spellbound Studios was to make the actual fourth installment of the series, whereas Trine Games was to quickly whip up an expansion pack to the third game. While [[BrokenBase it's a point of debate]] whether ''Arcania'' (the fourth installment by Spellbound) is good or not, the results of Trine Games working under unrealistic time constraints were... [[ObviousBeta not pretty]].

* ''VideoGame/Doom64'', while supervised by id Software, had its development handled to Creator/{{Midway}}. Notably, it was for this reason that the game's rights were legally stranded after the latter company's buyout by Warner until early 2020, when Bethesda (the overarching owners of id) finally managed to secure the rights and, alongside Nightdive Studios, ported the game to PC and 8th-generation systems.

* The original ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' was developed in-house at Creator/{{Nintendo}} while its two sequels, ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' and ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3'', were handed off to Creator/NextLevelGames. Both games are considered excellent on their own right, though ''Dark Moon'' is a ContestedSequel due to its mission-based structure while ''3'' is seen as at least on par, [[EvenBetterSequel if not better]] than the original due to combining the best of both games while ditching their flaws. Both losing the spooky atmosphere and having a more wacky and cartoonish artstyle [[BrokenBase is divisive though]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

[[folder:General]]
* There are some companies that specialize in being a support or B-team studio, where they get contract work from a publisher in order to help develop a video game. One of the more famous examples is {{Creator/TOSE}}, a Japanese studio that has been in business since the 80's and has worked on hundreds of games, but normally goes uncredited. There's a strong chance that a smaller budget side title by the likes of {{Creator/Nintendo}}, {{Creator/Capcom}}, Creator/BandaiNamco, Creator/SquareEnix, etc. were actually mostly handled by TOSE. Other examples of this type of company include Dimps, Arzest, h.a.n.d., and Paon.
* Some internal teams and subsidiaries also function like this, providing extra support for the main development staff. For example, Nintendo has the subsidiaries 1up Studio (formally Brownie Brown) and the Kyoto Monolith Soft studio that provides assistance for Nintendo projects, including the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'', and ''{{Franchise/Splatoon}}''. As a side effect, this technically means a lot of titles are handled by a B-team staff, albeit a more downplayed example.
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* Some internal teams and subsidiaries also function like this, providing extra support for first-party titles. For example Nintendo has the subsidiary 1up Studio (formally Brownie Brown) and the Kyoto Monolith Soft studio that provide assistance for Nintendo projects, including the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'', and ''{{Franchise/Splatoon}}''. As a side effect, this technically means a lot of titles are handled by a B-team staff to varying degrees.