History CanonWelding / VideoGames

* When Bohemia Interactive, the Czech developer of ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint: Cold War Crisis'' (their first game), split with the publisher Creator/{{Codemasters}}, they were able to keep the "''assets''"[[note]]above all the game engine[[/note]] but not the game's brand name, so they ended up creating a SpiritualSuccessor called ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}}''. However, BI has since come out and said that both series are in a SharedUniverse, as was BI's spin-off ''VideoGame/TakeOnHelicopters'', and indeed [[spoiler:the British player character of both ''ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead'' is a minor antagonist NPC in ''Take On Helicopters'']]. The final patch ([=v1.99=]) for ''Operation Flashpoint'' even renames it to ''ARMA: Cold War Assault''. Talk about paying attention to details.

** ''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 characters like Damnd as [=NPCs=].
** 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). [[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.

** 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. As detailed above, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' even adds the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' universe to the mix.

** 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 [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Archanea universe]]--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. As detailed above, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' even adds the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' universe to the mix.

* The [[MegaCorp Ultor Corporation]], from ''VideoGame/RedFaction'', a science-fiction series about Martian rebels, makes an appearance in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', a series about gang warfare in a contemporary American city. ''VideoGame/RedFaction: Guerilla'' references this with "Mount Vogel", named after the CEO of Ultor in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2''. This started off as a ShoutOut in the original ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', with a few references to Ultor here and there. Then ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' ran with it, and made Ultor a major faction that is clearly the same one as in ''VideoGame/RedFaction''. However, ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' separates the canon, to say the least. ''Maybe.'' [[spoiler:The ending implies a certain amount of TimeTravel, so who can say?]]

* Having released the humorous ship adventure ''Eye of the Kraken'' and the classical noir ''Carte Blanche: A Fistful of Teeth'', the video game company Absurdus made a sudden decision to declare the two games a part of the trilogy, and announce the third part ''The Eight Tentacles of the Apocalypse'', in which the Turkish diplomat Abdullah from the first game and the noir detective Edgar Delacroix from the second one join forces to stop the awakening of the Kraken. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d [[http://www.absurdus.net/8tentaks/ by the developers themselves]]: "You didn't know these games were part of a trilogy? Neither did we, but it is now an undisputable fact."

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
** ''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]]). 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). [[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. ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' has [[GuestFighter featured]] Sakura Kasugano as a participant (and establishes her as [[ChildhoodFriends good friends]] with Hinata Wakaba and Natsu Ayuhara; [[https://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-10/rs-illust-sakura_hinata_natsu.html there's even art of all three hanging out together]]), and Tiffany Lords and Hinata have made cameos in ''V'', with Akira Kazama later joining the playable roster as DLC. And if that wasn't enough, ''VideoGame/CaptainCommando'' exists TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture of this SharedUniverse, as one of the playable characters, Sho ([[DubNameChange Ginzu]]), is the successor of the Bushinryu ninjutsu utilized by Guy, a connection that is reiterated when they team up in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''. The very first level happens to be a future (but still crime-ridden) Metro City, and players can find a bust of Haggar that awards 5000 points at certain points throughout the game. ''Videogame/StreetFighter6'' further solidifies the ''Final Fight'' connection, being set in Metro City and featuring characters like Damnd as [=NPC=]s.
** A localized example of this comes in the form of the aforementioned Hugo, who was added to the cast of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: 2nd Impact''. His appearance is unmistakably that of Andore from ''Final Fight'', who previously made a cameo appearance in Guy's ''Street Fighter Alpha 2'' stage, and he even has Poison acting as his manager. For some odd reason, [[ContinuityDrift Capcom did not make any mention of the Andore family in Hugo's bio]], instead stating his parents were farmers from Germany and bringing up how Hugo had two younger sisters. It wouldn't be until [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV several]] [[VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken years later]] that Capcom would acknowledge Hugo and Andore as one and the same, effectively fusing together his two backstories. A MirrorMatch in ''Street Fighter X Tekken'' will result in the victor mistaking the loser for Andore Jr. while his intro sequence in ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'' features Hugo reminiscing about his mother and his life back home in Germany.
** With Zeku's playable appearance in Season 2 of ''Street Fighter V'' comes heavy implications that he goes on to found [[VideoGame/{{Strider}} the Striders]], thus making the ''Strider'' series also part of the ''SF'' canon.
** In the ''Capcom World'' games, and the mobile game ''Minna to Capcom All Stars''/''Street Fighter x All Capcom'', Capcom World is the place where all Capcom heroes reside. Capcom World features Pure the Mage, who appears with several Capcom characters in Ken's stage in ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Street Fighter Alpha 2]]''.
** The Shadaloo Combat Research Institute profiles on the ''Street Fighter V Character Encyclopedia'' website has entries for characters from ''Capcom Fighting All-Stars'', ''Capcom Fighting Evolution'', ''Cannon Spike'', ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFight Final Fight: Streetwise]]'', ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'', ''Pirate Ship Higemaru'', ''VideoGame/SaturdayNightSlamMasters'', ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEX'' and ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'', ''Street Fighter II: The Interactive Movie'', the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterTheMovie'' game, the ''WesternAnimation/StreetFighter'' animated series, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterOnlineMouseGeneration'', and ''VideoGame/StreetFighter2010''. A handful of these profiles are stated to be non-canonical, however, including one ([[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Ingrid]]) who had indeed appeared in a ''Street Fighter'' entry (the PSP port of ''[=SFA3=]'', ''Alpha 3 MAX'').
** 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 ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' universe (and, by extension, the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'', which is a distant--albeit largely disconnected--prequel to ''Tekken'').
* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' was originally in its own continuity (hence jokes and references to the original series being a ShowWithinAShow). However, ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' [[VideoGame games]] have more directly connected it as being the far distant future of the original ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX''.
* Having released the humorous ship adventure ''Eye of the Kraken'' and the classical noir ''Carte Blanche: A Fistful of Teeth'', the video game company ''Absurdus'' made a sudden decision to declare the two games a part of the trilogy, and announce the third part ''The Eight Tentacles of the Apocalypse'', in which the Turkish diplomat Abdullah from the first game and the noir detective Edgar Delacroix from the second one join forces to stop the awakening of the Kraken. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d [[http://www.absurdus.net/8tentaks/ by the developers themselves]]: "You didn't know these games were part of a trilogy? Neither did we, but it is now an undisputable fact."
* Creator/{{SNK}}:
** When SNK made ''Art of Fighting 2'', they decided to officially make the ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' series part of the same continuity as the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' series. To explain why the ''Art of Fighting'' cast were not around during the events of the ''Fatal Fury'' games, they made the ''Art of Fighting'' series a {{prequel}} to the ''Fatal Fury'' series by setting it ten years before and putting a young Geese Howard as the TrueFinalBoss in ''Art of Fighting 2'' (back when he was still the police commissioner of South Town). When SNK later wanted to cross the ''Fatal Fury'' cast with the ''Art of Fighting'' cast in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' games, they had to place the third series [[AlternateContinuity in a separate continuity]]. And from there, it starts getting ''really'' weird, with Ralf and Clark from ''VideoGame/IkariWarriors'' and Athena from ''VideoGame/PsychoSoldier'' (who is the descendant/ambiguously-the-reincarnation of the Athena from ''VideoGame/{{Athena}}'') appearing in ''The King of Fighters'' -- despite ''Psycho Soldier'' involving an invasion of monsters from beneath the earth that you'd kind of think would get mentioned at some point in ''KOF'' canonicity if it happened -- and then both Ralf and Clark and ''KOF'' original Leona appearing in ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 6'' and ''Metal Slug 7''. At this point, the only sane response to the SNK canon is to throw up your hands and shout "I don't know!"
** Other SNK titles, from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' to ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'' to ''[[VideoGame/FuunSeries Savage Reign/Kizuna Encounter]]'', have been alluded to in varying extents throughout ''KOF''[='s=] run. The latter, in particular, is also part of the ''Fatal Fury/Art of Fighting'' timeline in its original form (albeit [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture set several decades in the future]]), while ''VideoGame/BurikiOne'' presumably exists in yet another [[AlternateContinuity offshoot]] of this timeline. [[note]]While ''Buriki One'', among several nods, features the first appearance of Ryo Sakazaki as [[LegacyCharacter Mr. Karate II]], his DOB is listed as August 2, 19'''6'''7 as opposed to the 1957 birthdate given in ''[=AOF1=]''.[[/note]] Both the ''Fu'un'' duology and ''Buriki One'' have had two GuestFighter entrants each in ''XI''.
** ''The King of Fighters XIV'' 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]].
** There's also ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum'', which adds some of the properties SNK acquired from buying [[Creator/{{ADK}} Alpha Denshi]] (namely ''VideoGame/AggressorsOfDarkKombat'' and ''VideoGame/WorldHeroes'') into the mix.

* When Bohemia Interactive, the Czech developer of ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint: Cold War Crisis'' (their first game), split with the publisher Creator/{{Codemasters}}, they were able to keep the "''assets''"[[note]]above all the game engine[[/note]] but not the game's brand name, so they ended up creating a SpiritualSuccessor called ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}}''. However, BI has since come out and said that both series are in a SharedUniverse, as was BI's spin-off ''Videogame/TakeOnHelicopters'', and indeed [[spoiler:the British player character of both ''ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead'' is a minor antagonist NPC in ''Take On Helicopters'']]. The final patch ([=v1.99=]) for ''Operation Flashpoint'' even renames it to ''ARMA: Cold War Assault''. Talk about paying attention to details.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''
** [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU The fourth game]] seems to pick up where both The Subspace Emissary (''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]''[='=]s Story Mode) and ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' left off, as the various Palutena's Guidance conversations make reference to both games. [[spoiler:Dark Pit's conversation in particular shows that, following the events of ''Uprising'', he's decided to side with Viridi for reasons unknown.]]
** The Smashverse versions of Marth, Ike, Lucina and Robin are summonable in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', fittingly, via their Toys/{{amiibo}} (their real-life Trophies). When talked to, they reflect on their experiences in the ''Smash'' universe, but Robin and Lucina also recognize characters from [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening their game of origin]] that never appeared in ''Smash'', which leads to confusion between the characters due to the whole AlternateUniverse thing.
* The [[MegaCorp Ultor Corporation]], from ''VideoGame/RedFaction'', a science-fiction series about Martian rebels, makes an appearance in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', a series about gang warfare in a contemporary American city. ''VideoGame/RedFaction: Guerilla'' references this with "Mount Vogel", named after the CEO of Ultor in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2''. This started off as a ShoutOut in the original ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', with a few references to Ultor here and there. Then ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' ran with it, and made Ultor a major faction that is clearly the same one as in ''VideoGame/RedFaction''. However, ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' separates the canon, to say the least. ''Maybe.'' [[spoiler:The ending implies a certain amount of time-travel, so who can say?]]
* The sheer amount of [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to ''[[VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams NiGHTS]]'' in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series has led some people (including those of semi-official status) to claim they are in the same universe.
* ''VideoGame/ElementalWarOfMagic'' shares a ''lot'' of its terminology (especially in its backstory) with ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations'', indicating that the game may be set on ancient Altaria and the channellers are SufficientlyAdvancedAliens.
* ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'' and ''[[Literature/TheRiftwarCycle Riftwar]]'', mentioned under [[CanonWelding/CrossMedia Cross-Media]].
* {{Easter egg}}s in Creator/{{Sierra}}'s adventure games point to a [[http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/Multiverse shared continuity]]:

** In the ''[[VideoGame/SpaceQuestVTheNextMutation Space Quest V]]'' copy protection, the ''Galactic Inquirer'' article "Gir Draxon's predictions for 3010" features Gir Draxon. Gir Draxon is the [[{{EvilOverlord}} Supreme Overlord]] of the Arcturus system and BigBad of Dynamix's ''Stellar 7'', ''Nova 9'' and ''Stellar-Fire'' [[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/stellar7/stellar7.htm series]] of futuristic tank games, though Gir Draxon is not in ''Stellar 7'''s spiritual sequel ''Arctic Fox''. The [=StarCon Academy=] orbits planet Nova 9. In ''Nova 9'', Nova 9 is the name of a star system.

* 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 the PC game series ''VideoGame/DarkParables'', [[AllMythsAreTrue all fairy tales are true]], and they're all part of one gigantic story. Literature/SleepingBeauty is sister-in-law to Literature/TheFrogPrince while [[Literature/TheSnowQueen Gerda]] is descended from [[Literature/HanselAndGretel Hansel]], for starters. Sometimes characters from two (or more) different fairy tales will even turn out to be the same person; for example, [[spoiler:Snow White is also the Snow Queen]].
* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' and ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' are linked together by way of ''Commander Keen''[='s=] Billy Blaze being the grandson of ''Wolfenstein''[='s=] B.J. Blazkowicz. A common fan theory is that the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' is also part of the family. The RPG versions of their respective games go with this -- the "Harbinger of Doom" from ''Wolfenstein RPG'' is basically ''Doom''[='s=] Cyberdemon without prosthetics, and the hero of ''Doom RPG'' is explicitly given the last name "Blazkowicz." Also, ''Doom II''[='s=] Commander Keen and ''Wolfenstein 3D''[='s=] EasterEgg BonusLevel, though no in-story reason is given for their existence.
* Ever since 2004, ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' has been established to be in canonicity with ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' series with Ryu being the canonical winner of the second tournament and ''Dead or Alive'' character [[ActionGirl Ayane]] acting as a support character throughout many ''Ninja Gaiden'' installments. [[TheHero Kasumi]] herself would later appear in the newer ''Ninja Gaiden'' games, first making two cameo appearances in ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2'' before [[PromotedToPlayable being bumped up to playable status]] in ''Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge''. In turn, Rachel and Momiji (respectively from the 2004 ''Ninja Gaiden'' and ''Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword'') would [[CanonImmigrant cross over to]] ''DOA'' with ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive5 [[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]''. Additionally, ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'' reveals that [[spoiler:Sonia, one of Ryu's allies in ''Ninja Gaiden II'', is merely an alias for Irene Lew, his love interest in the original NES trilogy (and wife by the time of the first ''DOA''); Irene shows up in person during ''Razor's Edge'' and serves as Ayane's MissionControl after only being indirectly mentioned by Ryu in the original game]].
* 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 ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' 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 [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Archanea universe]]--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. As detailed above, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' even adds the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' universe to the mix.
** Outside of a multidimensional context, the universe of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Archanea]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Valentia]], and [[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Jugdral]] was merged with that of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]].
** 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]].
* ''VideoGame/LandsOfLore'' hints at a SharedUniverse with ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfKyrandia''. In ''The Hand of Fate'', one of the letters Zanthia recovers is addressed to Scotia. She later refers to King Richard as well. ''The Throne of Chaos'' has several plants which your character believes are Pseudobushia Hugiflora, plant life encountered in Kyrandia. The Draracle's museum in ''Guardians of Destiny'' has an enormous gemstone on display, which the tour guide voice compares to the Kyragem as a similar funneler of magic.
* Discussed in ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' where (on top of canonizing about a dozen other crossover games; see the Cross-Media page) the characters from the many different universes have some fun trying to link them together. For instance, the characters of ''VideoGame/GodEater'' find it plausible that their world would continue on a downward spiral, necessitating the construction of [[VideoGame/ResonanceOfFate Basel]] in their far future. However, it's also acknowledged that certain universes are mutually exclusive with each other (''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' is technologically and geopolitically incompatible with modern Earth) or completely isolated (''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' is shown to be in its own disconnected bubble), so nothing is set in stone.
* ''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.
* ''Season of the Sakura'' and ''Runaway City'' both feature Rin Watanabe and the ''Virtual Ninja'' arcade game series, and share similar backgrounds and character designs, along with ''Three Sisters' Story''.
* The [=PS2=]-era ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games are in the same continuity as the ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}}'' series -- Carcer City is explicitly stated to be a location in the Grand Theft Autoverse, and it was introduced even before Manhunt was released. And the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' universe (which it shares with ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'') may be shared with ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'', with the appearance of the Bullworth Academy on TV.
* [[VideoGame/CapcomVs Some of 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 [=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''.
** 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.

* Again, par for the course regarding ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', due to their MassiveMultiplayerCrossover nature, but the specific example goes to ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', having the unenviable task of integrating the countless OriginalGeneration stories from previous ''Super Robot Wars'' installments into a cohesive UltimateUniverse, often filling in the blanks left by licensed characters with its OriginalGeneration. For example, the "[[AMechByAnyOtherName Choukijin]]" from the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'' saga were originally connected to the ''Anime/MazingerZ'' mythos; in ''Original Generation'', they were created to combat the [[EldritchAbomination Einsts]] from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact2''. A later ''Original Generation'' installment, including at least [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ one licensed saga]], places more emphasis on space-time dimensional elements, a handy way of working in anything that can't be shoehorned in thoroughly into main {{Continuity}}, but also working around obstacles that might violate pre-established canon. From there, the ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'' games tie into ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'' and the ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' series, all of whom preceed ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone''; {{Sequel}}s the ''Second Original Generation'' and ''The Moon Dwellers'' even made preceding {{Crossover}}s (''[[VideoGame/AnotherCenturysEpisode Another Century's Episode R]]'' and ''Project X Zone'', respectively) explicitly canon.
* Several Sony Online Entertainment employees have [[http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/2p3706/nanite_systems_in_h1z1/ joked]] that their zombie apocalypse sandbox game ''[=H1Z1=]'' and their MMOFPS ''VideoGame/{{Planetside}} 2'' exist in the same universe, where ''Planetside'' is a LostColony of escapees from ''[=H1Z1=]''. The Nanite Systems MegaCorp that makes vehicles and weapons in ''Planetside'' appear in ''[=H1Z1=]'', apparently as a pharmaceutical company. The New Conglomerate MegaCorp likewise appears in ''[=H1Z1=]'' as a manufacturer of bluejeans. However, in practice it is just a ProductionThrowback.
* Deconstructed while being PlayedForDrama in the Story Mode of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse''. As a result of [[Franchise/MortalKombat Shao Kahn]] and ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} [[FusionDance merging]] (by accident, [[WhatTheHellHero after being beaten by Raiden and Superman in their respective universes]]) to become the entity known as [[BigBad Dark Kahn]], their mere existence is causing both ''Mortal Kombat''[='s=] universe and [[Franchise/TheDCU DC's universe]] to become one. At first this is seen as heroes and villains crossing over to the other's universes to fight one another, until both factions travel to Outworld/Apokolips, where they see the damage that is being done to their universes by Dark Kahn [[LetsYouAndHimFight after he had manipulated them all into fighting one another to make him stronger]]. By the end, however, Raiden and Superman team up to take out Dark Kahn and their universes separate.

* Creator/{{Ubisoft}}:
** Both ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' and ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'' appear to take place in the same universe. This was first shown in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' having an in-game email from Blume, a security firm from ''Watch_Dogs'', proposing Abstergo Industries make use of their ctOS system. Furthermore, the COO of Abstergo Entertainment from the same game is said to gone missing suddenly after a business meeting in Chicago, the setting of the first ''Watch_Dogs''. In that game, it turns out the Assassins hired Aiden Pierce to take care of the COO for them. While some players of both games originally assumed these to be nothing more than easter eggs, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'' makes the connection of their universes 100% certain by confirming that yes the mission where Aiden kills the COO of Abstergo Entertainment is part of the official ''Assassin's Creed'' canon.
** To a lesser degree, ''Franchise/FarCry'' has a small nod to Abstergo Industries and the Pieces of Eden in the [[VideoGame/FarCry3 third installment's DLC pack]] which indicates that it might also be in the same continuity as ''Assassin's Creed''.
* 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.
-->'''Nadia:''' This temporary chaos in Europe would only serve to fuel ''[[AncientConspiracy The Brotherhood's]]'' cause...
-->'''The Advisor[[spoiler:/Kane]]:''' ...The temporary future? Comrade chairman, ''I am the future!''
* In ''VideoGame/BravelySecond'', players can obtain a high-level staff known as [[UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi Musashi's Oar]] from a blue treasure chest in the Witherwoods. The weapon in and of itself alludes to the oar Musashi famously used in his duel against [[UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro Kojiro Sasaki]], with its description noting Musashi to hail from the island nation of [[{{Wutai}} Wa]] (which [[PhraseCatcher vanished centuries ago]], long before the time of ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault''). The last sentence of the account states "No record remains of his death, but it is said that he was summoned to be a hero for another world." This is a reference to one of Creator/SquareEnix's lesser-known titles from their Squaresoft days, ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi''--specifically the Hero Summon ritual (or "[[GratuitousLatin Vocatus Heroa]]" as it's referred to as in ''[[VideoGame/MusashiSamuraiLegend Samurai Legend]]''). The implication is that the ''Musashiden'' games, or at least their version of Musashi, are therefore canon to the setting of the ''Bravely'' series--an interesting thought given that [[spoiler:the BigBad of ''Samurai Legend'' is actually the real-life Kojiro Sasaki, never mind a presumably different Kojiro from Musashi's home world serving as his rival throughout ''BFM'']].
* ''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]]).
* While ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' seemingly started as a separate ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'' continuity à la ''VideoGame/Doom3'' while still making obligatory references, ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' outright confirms that [[spoiler:the Doom Slayer is indeed ''the'' same Doomguy from [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} the classic games]] whose battle in Hell ended up leading him into another dimension]]. At the same time ''VideoGame/Doom64'' is also welded into the main canon, despite it being made by Creator/MidwayGames instead of Creator/IdSoftware, and the lore bits about the Slayer in ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'' are confirmed to be accurate, despite that game's LooseCanon approach. And if that's not enough, the presence of the lost city of Hebeth during the Mars Core mission heavily implies that [[spoiler: ''VideoGame/Doom3'' may have also occurred within the main timeline, albeit with a different protagonist than classic Doomguy.]]
* Due to being a soft reboot, ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend Legend's]]'' (and thus entire L[[VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary A]][[VideoGame/TombRaiderUnderworld U]] trilogy) 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, the [[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 2013 game]] went for hard reboot and decided to reinvent Lara from a scratch. ''Both'' of those takes on canon and Lara were controversial among players upon premiere.
* Unlike other guest characters in ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', 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).
* This is one of the main driving points of ''Videogame/TravisStrikesAgainNoMoreHeroes'', pushing most of the Creator/GrasshopperManufacture games from having vaguely thematic links between them into a full-fledged shared continuity, stuffed with cameos from past games. And ''Videogame/NoMoreHeroesIII'' takes it a step further, featuring the appearance of a ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' character from a single-player story written by Creator/Suda51 himself.
* ''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 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''.
* Although they may not share the exact universe, the ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' and the HD universe of the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series have been made connected to each other via the Epsilon cult. A time-traveling member of the cult, Francis Sinclair, appears in Red Dead Redemption 2 and his appearance matches the description of Kraff from GTA V perfectly.
* When Shinya Kumazaki became the main director of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' franchise starting with ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' he immediatly set about connecting all the various elements scattered around the games into 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 eachother and even a hinted at connection between them and [[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Kirby.]]
* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'': Ratchet finds in-game recordings of a lombax who'd been tasked with mapping other dimensions as one of the collectable items in the game. The first dimension the lombax mentions visiting is that of ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'', while others mention ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'', ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', and ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}''. [[spoiler: The RYNO VIII also has a chance to bring in characters or objects from those dimensions when used]].
* ''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.
* 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.

** ''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]]). 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). [[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. ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' has [[GuestFighter featured]] Sakura Kasugano as a participant (and establishes her as [[ChildhoodFriends good friends]] with Hinata Wakaba and Natsu Ayuhara; [[https://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-10/rs-illust-sakura_hinata_natsu.html there's even art of all three hanging out together]]), and Tiffany Lords and Hinata have made cameos in ''V'', with Akira Kazama later joining the playable roster as DLC. And if that wasn't enough, ''VideoGame/CaptainCommando'' exists TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture of this SharedUniverse, as one of the playable characters, Sho ([[DubNameChange Ginzu]]), is the successor of the Bushinryu ninjutsu utilized by Guy, a connection that is reiterated when they team up in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''. The very first level happens to be a future (but still crime-ridden) Metro City, and players can find a bust of Haggar that awards 5000 points at certain points throughout the game. ''Videogame/StreetFighter6'' takes the ''Final Fight'' connection UpToEleven, being set in Metro City and featuring characters like Damnd as [=NPC=]s.

** ''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]]). 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). [[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. ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' has [[GuestFighter featured]] Sakura Kasugano as a participant (and establishes her as [[ChildhoodFriends good friends]] with Hinata Wakaba and Natsu Ayuhara; [[https://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-10/rs-illust-sakura_hinata_natsu.html there's even art of all three hanging out together]]), and Tiffany Lords and Hinata have made cameos in ''V'', with Akira Kazama later joining the playable roster as DLC. And if that wasn't enough, ''VideoGame/CaptainCommando'' exists TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture of this SharedUniverse, as one of the playable characters, Sho ([[DubNameChange Ginzu]]), is the successor of the Bushinryu ninjutsu utilized by Guy, a connection that is reiterated when they team up in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''. The very first level happens to be a future (but still crime-ridden) Metro City, and players can find a bust of Haggar that awards 5000 points at certain points throughout the game.

* Discussed in ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' where (on top of canonizing about a dozen other crossover games; see the Cross-Media page) the characters from the many different universes have some fun trying to link them together. For instance, the characters of ''VideoGame/GodsEaterBurst'' find it plausible that their world would continue on a downward spiral, necessitating the construction of [[VideoGame/ResonanceOfFate Basel]] in their far future. However, it's also acknowledged that certain universes are mutually exclusive with each other (''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' is technologically and geopolitically incompatible with modern Earth) or completely isolated (''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' is shown to be in its own disconnected bubble), so nothing is set in stone.

* When Shinya Kumazaki became the main director of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' franchise starting with ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' he immediatly set about connecting all the various elements scattered around the games into one firm narrative. Now we know the shared origin of Nova, the Star Rod and various other artefacts, the connection that the dark eldritchian villains seem to have with eachother and even a hinted at connection between them and Kirby.

** A localized example of this comes in the form of the aforementioned Hugo, who was added to the cast of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: 2nd Impact''. His appearance is unmistakably that of Andore from ''Final Fight'', who previously made a cameo appearance in Guy's ''Street Fighter Alpha 2'' stage, and he even has Poison acting as his manager. For some odd reason, [[ContinuityDrift Capcom did not make any mention of the Andore family in Hugo's bio]], instead stating his parents were farmers from Germany and bringing up how Hugo had two younger sisters. It wouldn't be until [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV several]] [[VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken years later]] that Capcom would acknowledge Hugo and Andore as one in the same, effectively fusing together his two backstories. A MirrorMatch in ''Street Fighter X Tekken'' will result in the victor mistaking the loser for Andore Jr. while his intro sequence in ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'' features Hugo reminiscing about his mother and his life back home in Germany.

* When Shinya Kumazaki became the main director of the''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' franchise starting with ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' he immediatly set about connecting all the various elements scattered around the games into one firm narrative. Now we know the shared origin of Nova, the Star Rod and various other artefacts, the connection that the dark eldritchian villains seem to have with eachother and even a hinted at connection between them and Kirby.

* [[VideoGame/CapcomVs Some of 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 [=PS2=] version of ''Viewtiful Joe'', is the spirit of the sword Dante picks up in the original ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and Dante's (admittedly non-canonical) story in ''Viewtiful Joe'' [[spoiler:has Mundus, the BigBad of the first ''[=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''.
** 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." 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.

* While ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' seemingly started a separate ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'' continuity à la ''VideoGame/Doom3'' while still making obligatory references, ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' outright confirms that [[spoiler:the Doom Slayer is indeed ''the'' same Doomguy from [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} the classic games]] whose battle in Hell ended up leading him into another dimension]]. At the same time ''VideoGame/Doom64'' is also welded into the main canon, despite it being made by Creator/MidwayGames instead of Creator/IdSoftware, and the lore bits about the Slayer in ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'' are confirmed to be accurate, despite that game's LooseCanon approach. And if that's not enough, the presence of the lost city of Hebeth during the Mars Core mission heavily implies that [[spoiler: ''VideoGame/Doom3'' may have also occurred within the main timeline, albeit with a different protagonist than classic Doomguy.]]

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'': Ratchet finds in-game recordings of a lombax who'd been tasked with mapping other dimensions as one of the collectable items in the game. The first dimension the lombax mentions visiting is that of ''VideoGame/SlyCooper''.

** 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 [[BelatedBackstory 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]].

* Fitting its business model of only developing games that can be turned into franchises, Creator/{{Ubisoft}} seems well into doing this by starting to connect its existing franchises of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'', ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'' and ''Franchise/FarCry''.

* Fitting its business model of only developing games that can be turned into franchises, Creator/{{Ubisoft}} seems well into doing this by starting to connect its existing franchises of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'', ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'' and ''VideoGame/FarCry''.

** To a lesser degree, ''VideoGame/FarCry'' has a small nod to Abstergo Industries and the Pieces of Eden in the [[VideoGame/FarCry3 third installment's DLC pack]] which indicates that it might also be in the same continuity as ''Assassin's Creed''.