History CanonWelding / VideoGames

* When ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' was launched, there was little in common between its open-world fantasy setting and the science fiction action games previously made by Creator/MiHoYo. But then eagle-eyed fans playing ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'' spotted something surprising on one of the monitors Otto Apocalypse was using to search through the multiverse -- Stormterror, the boss of ''Genshin Impact'''s prologue chapter. WordOfGod has since confirmed that ''Genshin'' is a distant "branch" in the same multiverse as ''[=HI3=]'' and ''VideoGame/HonkaiStarRail'' (with the latter explicitly noted to be set in an AlternateUniverse parallel to that of the former). This multiverse has since been given the name "Hoyoverse", with multiple cases of [[AlternateSelf alternate versions of characters]] appearing across the three games and at least one character from ''[=HI3=]'' ([[spoiler:Welt Yang]]) [[{{Transplant}} crossing over]] to the universe ''Star Rail'' is set in.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' attempted this in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar Black Ops: Cold War]]'', including ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare Modern Warfare's]]'' Imran Zakhayev (or, more precisely, his incarnation mentioned in [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 the 2019 reboot]]) as a minor character, and the closed captions for ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard Vanguard]]'' reveal trailer shown during the promotional event in ''Warzone'' revealed that one of the antagonists is named Steiner -- in at least a ShoutOut to the original ''Black Ops''.

** In a similar vein to Kamiya, ''VideoGame/{{Strider}}'' creator Kouichi Yotsui has added nods and references in his works that seem to imply they all are part of a shared setting, although he's not as bold as Kamiya and has always kept things implied as he explains other companies own the rights of the games he made. Since most of his works remain [[NoExportForYou Japan-exclusives]], this is mostly appreciated in his trilogy of action games (the original ''[[VideoGame/StriderArcade Strider]]'', ''VideoGame/CannonDancer'' and ''VideoGame/MoonDiver''), each of which feature a number of allusions to each other. In particular with ''Cannon Dancer'', Yotsui was initially vaguely stating its main character Kirin has some relation to the Kuniang Chinese sisters from ''Strider'' (mostly over their ability to produce blades of plasma from kicking), but when the game was rereleased in 2023, he straight up said he envisions Kirin as the nephew of the Chinese sisters, who raised and trained him at a point they fell on hard times.
*** Interestingly enough, Capcom may have reciprocated the sentiment, as they included some nods to ''Cannon Dancer'' in Zeku's ''Strider''-inspired design from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'', like giving him a similar ability to create blades with his kicks or moves named after Kirin and his mercenary group Teki.
* If the quote is any indication, ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert'' was about to be welded with the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' before going off the rails and becoming its own universe.

** Some of the company's [[VideoGame/CapcomVs more robust crossovers]], like ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', imply that many a Capcom franchise share some implicit but mostly unexplored degree of connectivity (going beyond the SharedUniverse the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' franchise is known to be part of). For example, [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan]] in ''[=TvC=]'' expresses disappointment that VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe didn't live up to what she learned from Joe's rival Alastor. Alastor, as per the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] version of ''Viewtiful Joe'', is the spirit of the sword Dante picks up in [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 the original]] ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and Dante's (admittedly non-canonical) story in ''Viewtiful Joe'' [[spoiler:has Mundus, the BigBad of ''[=DMC1=]'', as TheManBehindTheMan]]. Then, Dante and Joe are shown to be buddies/friendly rivals given their ''[=MvC3=]'' intro quotes for each other, which would be strange (seeing as they never actually met in ''Viewtiful Joe'') if not for the fact that Dante was a playable character in the PSP port of ''Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble''.

*** Speaking of Bayonetta, the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Switch]] version of ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' also melds her guest appearance in ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. If you use a ''Smash'' Toys/{{amiibo}} not tied to a specific equipment in-game, Rodin will tell Bayonetta that she got a package from her "fight club" and will ask her to take him along the next time she's invited. Indeed, when she came back in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', she brought Rodin with her as an Assist Trophy.

** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIV'' goes a step further by introducing the Another World Team, consisting of Nakoruru (of ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' fame, last seen as a non-canon fighter in the UsefulNotes/GameBoy port of ''[='95=]''), Mui Mui (from the pachinko game ''Dragon Gal''), and Love Heart (from the pachinko game ''Sky Love''), who are drawn into the ''KOF'' world due to a dimensional rift. In short, the implication is that any of the SNK games that don't fit neatly into the ''KOF'' timeline, and even some of the ones that could, all exist as part of [[TheMultiverse a greater cosmology]].

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series, Britannia has featured a few heroes from other worlds, including Seggallion, the hero of Origin's ''Knights of Legend'', set in the world of Ashtalarea, Gorn, the hero of Origin's ''The Quest'' and ''Ring Quest'', set in the world of Balema, and the fighter Gertan, hero of the UsefulNotes/AppleII game ''The Caverns of Freitag''. Their adventures are chronicled in books along with [[Creator/OriginSystems Origin]]'s ''Tangled Tales'' and ''Windwalker''. The Kilrathi ship in ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'' and the Trilkhai in ''[[VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld Ultima Underworld II]]'' link ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' to ''VideoGame/WingCommander''. ''[[VideoGame/UltimaVIIPartII Serpent Isle]]'' would have featured a stranded Kilrathi pilot on the isle of Claw. ''Ultima Forever'' would have featured an island with a Kilrathi monument and an island with a crashed Dralthi ship.

* In 2011, Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment merged parts of the previously unrelated (despite numerous [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]]) ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Galaga}}'' series, ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series, ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' series, and some other games [[note]][[https://ugsf-series.com/en/ including]] ''VideoGame/{{Bosconian}}'', ''VideoGame/DigDug'', ''VideoGame/{{Baraduke}}'', ''VideoGame/MrDriller'', ''VideoGame/{{Starblade}}'', and ''VideoGame/MizuiroBlood''[[/note]] into an overarching ''[[http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/United_Galaxy_Space_Force_(series) United Galaxy Space Force (UGSF)]]'' series. ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' serves as its starting point, while its name is theorized to come from the United Galaxy Space Force organization mentioned in ''Galaxian''.

* When ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' was launched, there was little in common between its open-world fantasy setting and the science fiction action games previously made by Creator/MiHoYo. But then eagle-eyed fans playing ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'' spotted something surprising on one of the monitors Otto Apocalypse was using to search through the multiverse -- Stormterror, the boss of ''Genshin Impact'''s prologue chapter. WordOfGod has since confirmed that ''Genshin'' is a distant "branch" in the same multiverse as ''[=HI3=]'' and ''VideoGame/HonkaiStarRail'' (with the latter explicitly noted to be set in an AlternateUniverse parallel to that of the former) . This multiverse has since been given the name "Hoyoverse", with multiple cases of [[AlternateSelf alternate versions of characters]] appearing across the three games and at least one character from ''[=HI3=]'' [[{{Transplant}} crossing over]] to the universe ''Star Rail'' is set in ([[spoiler:Welt Yang]]).

* When Shinya Kumazaki became the main director of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' franchise starting with ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'', he immediately set about connecting all the various elements scattered around the games into [[MythArc one firm narrative]]. Now we know the shared origin of [[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Nova]], [[VideoGame/KirbysAdventure the Star Rod]] and [[VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand other artefacts that have been introduced since]], the connection that [[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3 the]] [[VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards dark]] [[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror eldritchian]] [[VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad villains]] seem to have with each other, and even a hinted at connection between them and [[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Kirby himself]].
** Likewise, [[spoiler:the "Magolor Epilogue" mode from ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLandDeluxe'' ties the events of the original release to the previously-AlternateContinuity ''VideoGame/TeamKirbyClashDeluxe'' games, with Magolor's main collectibles being slices of a Gem Apple, the final boss being a manifestation of the Master Crown that heavily resembles the Gem Apple tree, and images in the credits showing Magolor arriving through a dimensional portal to the Dream Kingdom, donning his Shopkeeper outfit.]]

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series has long had a confusing timeline, with fans trying to figure out exactly where each game falls among the others. This was finally cleared up when WordOfGod declared that there were actually ''three'' main timelines, splitting off from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'': one where Link defeats Ganondorf and, after returning to the past, is able to stop him before he rises to power (the Child Timeline); one where Link defeats Ganondorf and stays in the future permanently (the Adult Timeline); and one where [[TheBadGuyWins Ganondorf defeats Link]] and has to be banished by other means (the Downfall Timeline). Then, in 2017, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' welded all three timelines together in a single canon: locations throughout Hyrule are named after major and minor characters from every single game in the franchise, suggesting that the branching realities merged again at some point in the past.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' was originally in its own continuity (hence jokes and references to the original series being a ShowWithinAShow). However, the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' games have more directly connected it as being the far distant future of the original ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX''.
* ''VideoGame/MichaelJacksonsMoonwalker'' was originally just a tie in for [[Music/MichaelJackson the titular singer's]] movie [[Film/{{Moonwalker}} of the same name]] in 1990. Nearly ten years later, Jackson was prominently featured in Sega's ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5'' games, with the events of ''Moonwalker'' being part of his in-universe backstory. This welding happened because [[PromotedFanboy Jackson had a longstanding relationship with Sega]], and requested a cameo in ''Space Channel 5''; which Sega agreed to.

* ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'' mashes ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}, VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', and ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' into a single continuity. ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'' mashes all of this with Id's remaining franchise, ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'', and possibly with ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' and its sequels, if Galena is any indication.

* The sheer amount of [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to ''[[VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams NiGHTS]]'' in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series has led some people ([[WordOfSaintPaul including those of semi-official status]]) to claim they are in the same universe.

** As of ''VideoGame/Tekken7'', with [[GuestFighter the existence of Akuma]], being relatively plot-relevant in comparison to other characters, and an implied connection between the [[KillingIntent Satsui no Hadou]] and Devil Gene, ''Street Fighter'' is also canon to the ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' universe (and, by extension, the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'', which is a distant--albeit largely disconnected--prequel to ''Tekken'').

* Due to being a SoftReboot, ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend Legend]]''[='s=] (and thus the entire L[[VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary A]][[VideoGame/TombRaiderUnderworld U]] trilogy's) continuity is best described as three parts Core-era ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games, two parts ''Film/LaraCroftTombRaider'' and a generous squeeze of [[Creator/TopCowProductions TopCow's]] comics, garnished with a peel from one of the official novels. Various bits from all over the franchise were mixed and matched together to create a new continuity. Most notable is the drastic change in Lara's relationship with her parents (or the fact they are both dead) and the general redesign of the Croft manor (which is the family estate, rather than private property of Lara). For comparison, [[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 the 2013 game]] went for [[ContinuityReboot hard reboot]] and decided to reinvent Lara from a scratch. ''Both'' of those takes on canon and Lara were controversial among players upon premiere.

* ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'' seems to be a straightforward ContinuityReboot of ''Blaster Master'', and while that's still true for the most part (Jason, Fred, and Eve all have different backstories than whatever was previously established), it's also canonically a StealthSequel to ''Metafight'', the original Japanese version of the game ([[spoiler:the heroes from that game are the creators of Sophia III and Eve]]). Then, by way of {{Multiverse}} shenanigans, the trilogy also found itself linked to the ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvoltSeries'': Copen's GuestFighter cameo in ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero2'', which was originally just seen as non-canon fanservice, eventually resulted in a Blaster Rifle making its way into the core plot of ''VideoGame/LuminousAvengerIx2''.

** If that wasn't enough, there are multiple hints throughout ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' pointing to the fact that [[IntercontinuityCrossover it exists in the same world as]] ''Devil May Cry'', including the description for the Bracelet of Time [[note]]essentially the same item as the first ''DMC''[='s=] Bangle of Time but with some design elements of the [[VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe V-Watch]][[/note]] name-dropping Dante's mother Eva while establishing her as an Umbra Witch who "entered into a contract with the legendary dark knight" (i.e. Sparda). Given that ''DMC'' and ''Bayonetta'' were [[Creator/HidekiKamiya created by the same guy]] (who was also responsible for the first ''Viewtiful Joe''), this is not entirely surprising. In fact, Kamiya [[https://twitter.com/PG_kamiya/status/746620826703691776 has stated]] he believes all the games he directed are part of a shared setting.

** WordOfGod states [[VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe Sexy Silvia]] and [[VideoGame/TheWonderful101 Wonder-Cheerleader]] (an {{Expy}} of the former) [[CanonImmigrant are actually the same person]], which would make her full name Silvianne "Silvia" Lumiere. Joe is even directly mentioned during one of Wonder-Pink's failed QTE sequences, alluding to the third ''Viewtiful Joe'' game that was never made.

* The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series is mostly a NonLinearSequel series, but has a few counts of direct crossovers.
** Some early examples are [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Gilgamesh]], who was banished to a world between universes and is the same person in most of his appearances. [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud]] later appeared as a guest character in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', via a machine that can reach across time and space. (The remastered version of ''Tactics'' for the PSP also adds [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII Balthier]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2 Luso]].) Around the time ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' appeared, games (especially mobile spin-offs) began suggesting that all the worlds of ''Final Fantasy'' are planets in numerous universes separated by the Void, which can be crossed on occasion.

** A localized example comes from ''Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'', the 2017 remake of ''Gaiden''. While ''Gaiden'' was indeed a side-story to the titles set in Archanea, there were very few tangible links between games beyond the appearances of the Whitewing sisters and [[spoiler:Zeke, an amnesiac Camus from ''Shadow Dragon'']], with one of these -- [[spoiler:Alm inexplicably finding the Falchion in Duma Temple]] -- leaving players scratching their heads in confusion for many years. The remake, on the other hand, more neatly ties together ''Gaiden'' with the Archanean games as part of [[AdaptationExpansion its expanded retelling]]. Aside of definitively stating [[spoiler:Camus decides to stay in Valentia with his lover Tatiana following [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem his stint as Sirius]] provided both of them survive to the end]], ''[=SoV=]'' establishes [[spoiler:Mila and Duma as members of the Divine Dragon Tribe who were exiled thousands of years beforehand]], with [[spoiler:Naga forging a second Falchion from one of her fangs and giving it to Duma as a countermeasure should they succumb to degeneration, much like many of the other dragons would in the backstory of Marth's games]]. In fact, [[spoiler:Mila describes the Valentian Falchion as the "one and only godslaying sword," implying [[OlderIsBetter it was crafted far earlier than its Archanean counterpart]]]]. Furthermore, the postgame involves traveling across the sea to the western outskirts of Archanea, where the player investigates the ruins of Thabes, an ancient civilization in the Mamorthod Desert mentioned in ''Mystery of the Emblem''. This dungeon, Thabes Labyrinth, manages to provide some much-needed backstory for none other than [[spoiler:Grima, the BigBad of ''Awakening'', revealing he and the Death Masks, the original Risen, were the products of forbidden experiments conducted by a mad alchemist named Forneus, forcing the Thabean Council to seal him and his creations away within his workshop]].
* When ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' was launched, there was little in common between the open-world fantasy setting and the science fiction action games previously made by Creator/MiHoYo. But then eagle-eyed fans playing ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'' spotted something surprising on one of the monitors Otto Apocalypse was using to search through the multiverse -- Stormterror, the boss of Genshin Impact's prologue chapter. WordOfGod has since confirmed that Genshin Impact is a distant "branch" in the same multiverse as Honkai Impact 3rd and newest entry, ''VideoGame/HonkaiStarRail''. This multiverse has since been given the name "Hoyoverse", with multiple cases of alternate versions of characters appearing across the three games.

* In 2011, Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment merged parts of the previously unrelated (despite numerous [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]]) ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Galaga}}'' series, ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series, ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' series, and some other games [[note]][[https://ugsf-series.com/en/ including]] ''VideoGame/{{Bosconian}}'', ''VideoGame/DigDug'', ''VideoGame/{{Baraduke}}'', ''VideoGame/MrDriller'', ''VideoGame/{{Starblade}}'', and ''VideoGame/MizuiroBlood''[[/note]] into an overarching ''[[http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/United_Galaxy_Space_Force_(series) United Galaxy Space Force (UGSF)]]'' series. ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' serves as its starting point.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters'', ''Caravan Hearts'' ties to ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'' and the original trilogy. ''Terry's Wonderland'' ties into ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI''.

* ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'' seems to be a straightforward ContinuityReboot of ''Blaster Master'', and while that's still true for the most part (Jason, Fred, and Eve all have different backstories than whatever was previously established), it's also canonically a StealthSequel to ''Metafight'', the original Japanese version of the game ([[spoiler:the heroes from that game are the creators of Sophia III and Eve]]).

** A localized example comes from ''Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'', the 2017 remake of ''Gaiden''. While ''Gaiden'' was indeed a side-story to the titles set in Archanea, there were very few tangible links between games beyond the appearances of the Whitewing sisters and [[spoiler:Zeke, an amnesiac Camus from ''Shadow Dragon'']], with one of these -- [[spoiler:Alm inexplicably finding the Falchion in Duma Temple]] -- leaving players scratching their heads in confusion for many years. The remake, on the other hand, more neatly ties together ''Gaiden'' with the Archanean games as part of [[AdaptationExpansion its expanded retelling]]. Aside of definitively stating [[spoiler:Camus decides to stay in Valentia with his lover Tatiana following [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem his stint as Sirius]] provided both of them survive to the end]], ''[=SoV=]'' establishes [[spoiler:Mila and Duma as members of the Divine Dragon Tribe who were exiled thousands of years beforehand]], with [[spoiler:Naga forging a second Falchion from one of her fangs and giving it to Duma as a countermeasure should they succumb to degeneration, much like many of the other dragons would in the backstory of Marth's games]]. In fact, [[spoiler:Mila describes the Valentian Falchion as the "one and only godslaying sword," implying it was crafted far earlier than its Archanean counterpart]]. Furthermore, the postgame involves traveling across the sea to the western outskirts of Archanea, where the player investigates the ruins of Thabes, an ancient civilization in the Mamorthod Desert mentioned in ''Mystery of the Emblem''. This dungeon, Thabes Labyrinth, manages to provide some much-needed backstory for none other than [[spoiler:Grima, the BigBad of ''Awakening'', revealing he and the Death Masks, the original Risen, were the products of forbidden experiments conducted by a mad alchemist named Forneus, forcing the Thabean Council to seal him and his creations away within his workshop]].

** A localized example comes from ''Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'', the 2017 remake of ''Gaiden''. While ''Gaiden'' was indeed a side-story to the titles set in Archanea, there were very few tangible links between games beyond the appearances of the Whitewing sisters and [[spoiler:Zeke, an amnesiac Camus from ''Shadow Dragon'']], with one of these -- [[spoiler:Alm inexplicably finding the Falchion in Duma Temple]] -- leaving players scratching their heads in confusion for many years. The remake, on the other hand, more neatly ties together ''Gaiden'' with the Archanean games as part of [[AdaptationExpansion its expanded retelling]]. Aside of definitively stating [[spoiler:Camus decides to stay in Valentia with his lover Tatiana following [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem his stint as Sirius]] provided both of them survive to the end]], ''[=SoV=]'' establishes [[spoiler:Mila and Duma as members of the Divine Dragon Tribe who were exiled thousands of years beforehand]], with [[spoiler:Naga forging a second Falchion from one of her fangs and giving it to Duma as a countermeasure should they succumb to degeneration, much like many of the other dragons would in the backstory of Marth's games]]. In fact, [[spoiler:Mila describes the Valentian Falchion as the "one and only godslaying sword," implying it was crafted far earlier than its Archanean counterpart]]. Furthermore, the postgame involves traveling across the sea to the western outskirts of Archanea, where the player investigates the ruins of Thabes, an ancient civilization in the Mamorthod Desert mentioned in ''Mystery of the Emblem''. This dungeon, Thabes Labyrinth, manages to provide some much-needed backstory for none other than [[spoiler:Grima, the BigBad of ''Awakening'', revealing he and the Death Masks, the original Risen, were the products of forbidden experiments conducted by a mad alchemist named Forneus, forcing the Thabean council to seal him and his creations away within his workshop]].

* In 1998, Creator/{{Dynamix}} released ''VideoGame/StarsiegeTribes'' and held Alpha Test Releases of what was supposed to be its companion game, ''VideoGame/{{Starsiege}}'', which didn't hit shelves until 1999. ''Tribes'' was intended to be the [[DistantSequel Distant (Chronological) Sequel]] to ''Starsiege'', taking place eleven centuries into the future. Together, the two games created a SharedUniverse which welded together a number of other Dynamix titles, as well as some which predated Dynamix's founding. Dynamix used ''VideoGame/HunterHunted'' as the PointOfDivergence for their new universe, which included the ''Metaltech'', ''[=EarthSiege=]'', and ''VideoGame/Cyberstorm'' series of games. It also included the ''VideoGame/Stellar7'' series of tank simulation games, recasting its BigBad Gir Draxon as the leader of the [=BioDerm=] rebellion seen in ''Tribes 2''. ''Starsiege'' and ''Tribes'' both have impressive [[AllThereInTheManual Compendiums]] full of concept art explaining the history and culture of this shared universe.

** Likewsie, the "Magolor Epilogue" mode from ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLandDeluxe'' ties the events of the original release to the previously-AlternateContinuity ''VideoGame/TeamKirbyClashDeluxe'' games, with Magolor's main collectibles being slices of a Gem Apple, the final boss being a manifestation of the Master Crown that heavily resembles the Gem Apple tree, and images in the credits showing Magolor arriving through a dimensional portal to the Dream Kingdom, donning his Shopkeeper outfit.

* The unofficial [[GameMod expansion mod]] for ''VideoGame/StardewValley'', ''VideoGame/RidgesideVillage'', is connected to the mod creator's previous mini-expansion mod ''Lunna - Astray in Stardew Valley'', in that the former has a few references to the place and the characters of the latter.

* The sheer amount of [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to ''[[VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams NiGHTS]]'' in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series has led some people (including those of semi-official status) to claim they are in the same universe.

** Unlike other [[GuestFighter guest characters]] in ''Mortal Kombat'', who are stated to come from alternate realities, ComicBook/{{Spawn}} implies in his appearance in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' that he actually comes from the same universe as the rest of the main cast. He directly states that Malebolgia is related to Kronika (and through her Shinnok and Cetrion), with further implications that Hell is part of the Netherrealm. As more of a joke, D'Vorah also shows awareness of the Phlebiacs (the family of demons Spawn's eternal nemesis Violator belongs to).

** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' effectively combined the ''Street Fighter'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' franchises into [[SharedUniverse one shared continuity]] by featuring Guy and Sodom from the first ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' as playable characters, followed by Rolento in ''Alpha 2'' and Cody in ''Alpha 3''. ''Final Fight'' was originally intended to be a {{sequel}} to the [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI first]] ''Street Fighter'', and, most importantly, the two franchises had been already officially part of the same continuity since the console version of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' first came out (proof of this was in the [[AllThereInTheManual instruction booklet]]). Since then, more and more members of the ''FF'' cast would be {{transplant}}ed over to its sister series, such as Hugo (Andore) in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: 2nd Impact'' (see his mention below), Poison in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' and ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV Ultra Street Fighter IV]]'', and Abigail and Lucia in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV''. ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6'' further solidifies the ''Final Fight'' connection, being set in Metro City and featuring Mad Gear members like Damnd as [=NPCs=],

* ''VideoGame/CapcomVs'':
** Some of Creator/{{Capcom}}'s more robust crossovers, like ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', imply that many a Capcom franchise share some implicit but mostly unexplored degree of connectivity (going beyond the SharedUniverse the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' franchise is known to be part of). For example, [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan]] in ''[=TvC=]'' expresses disappointment that VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe didn't live up to what she learned from Joe's rival Alastor. Alastor, as per the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] version of ''Viewtiful Joe'', is the spirit of the sword Dante picks up in [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 the original]] ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and Dante's (admittedly non-canonical) story in ''Viewtiful Joe'' [[spoiler:has Mundus, the BigBad of ''[=DMC1=]'', as TheManBehindTheMan]]. Then, Dante and Joe are shown to be buddies/friendly rivals given their ''[=MvC3=]'' intro quotes for each other, which would be strange (seeing as they never actually met in ''Viewtiful Joe'') if not for the fact that Dante was a playable character in the PSP port of ''Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble''.

*** Speaking of Bayonetta, the Switch version of ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' also melds her guest appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros4''. If you use a ''Smash'' amiibo not tied to a specific equipment in-game, Rodin will tell Bayonetta that she got a package from her "fight club" and will ask her to take him along the next time she's invited. Indeed, when she came back in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', she brought Rodin with her as an Assist Trophy.

** Up until ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', it was assumed that, barring remakes and direct sequels/prequels (and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]'' which was a GaidenGame to ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Shadow Dragon]]'' featuring a small number of its characters), all ''Fire Emblem'' games were set in different universes and did not impact each other. [[note]]WordOfGod prior to ''Awakening'' did state that Jugdral, the setting of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 Thracia 776]]'', existed in the same world as Archanea and Valentia, confirming Naga to be the same character between all her appearances (or at least various incarnations of the same character).[[/note]] However, [=SpotPass=] and DLC content for ''Awakening'' used characters from previous ''Fire Emblem'' games--including ones that were not set in the Archanea universe [[note]]''Shadow Dragon'', ''Gaiden'', and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem Mystery of the Emblem]]''[[/note]]--and so to get around this, introduced a "gateway" (the Outrealm Gate) that allowed characters to travel between the different universes. This would imply that all of the worlds are connected, physically or otherwise, as part of some greater universe rather than separate, alternate worlds. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' even adds the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' universe to the mix.

** By extension, this also puts ''Street Fighter'' in the same universe as ''VideoGame/SaturdayNightSlamMasters'', since both that series and ''Final Fight'' feature the character of Mike Haggar. This is confirmed in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'', where Hugo's ending has him about to enter into a tag-team match against two ''Slam Masters'' characters, who will vary depending on who his partner is (for instance, if Elena is chosen, she and Hugo will face off against Haggar and Black Widow). Haggar himself also makes several cameo appearances in the ''Street Fighter'' series, such as in the background of Guy's stages in ''Alpha 2'' and ''Alpha 3'', as well as in Lucia's character story for ''Street Fighter V''. [[AllThereInTheManual Ancillary material]] released for ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' also mentions that Rainbow Mika's coach, Yoko, was forced to retire from wrestling after Black Widow injured her during a match.

*** Speaking of Bayonetta, the Switch version of ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' also melds her guest appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros4''. If you use an amiibo not tied to a specific equipment in-game, Rodin will tell Bayonetta that she got a package from a "fight club" of hers and will ask her to take him along the next time she's invited. Which is HilariousInHindsight in that when she came back in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', she brought Rodin with her as an Assist Trophy.