History Main / SoftReboot

* The ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series has multiple universes, and while direct and non-linear sequels ''do'' exist, there has been an essential "main" timeline (''VideoGame/FireEmblemArchanea'' & ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''). Interestingly enough, this has happened twice within that timeline. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral'' was set in the distant past, while ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' was set in the distant future. Being set in the distant future allowed ''Awakening'' to have so many [[CallBack call backs]] and [[MythologyGag mythology gags]] to ''Archanaea'', ''Gaiden'', ''and'' ''Jugdral'' all at once, whereas ''Jugdral'''s only ties to Archanea was within the lore.

* ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' undoes some of the events in the first few films, with the CloseEnoughTimeline at the end. [[spoiler:Jean and Scott are still around.]]

* One of the criticisms by more old-school fans of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrolls'' was the fact that ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' was set about 200 years after Oblivion, in a series where the first four games took place over the span of roughly thirty four years. (Similar to ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', another Bethesda product). This essentially made the game act like a soft reboot of the lore, while still being able to fit into the timeline.
** Of course, this isn't the ''first'' time that Elder Scrolls did this. Its spinoff games, ''Redguard'' and ''VideoGame/ElderScrollsOnline'' essentially got around having to fit into the lore by having them all set hundreds of years before ''Arena''.

* The ''Film/James Bond'' films also used to work like this. Each time the lead actor changed, the series was effectively soft-reboooted. It helps that the series, for the most part, never really had much continuity to begin with, beyond the occasional ContinuityNod to [[spoiler: the death of Bond's wife Tracy]]. All this changed with the 2006 film ''Film/CasinoRoyale'', which was not only a hard ContinuityReboot, but also established a firm continuity for the franchise that has persisted all through the Daniel Craig era so far.

* The ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series has multiple universes, and while direct and non-linear sequels ''do'' exist, there has been an essential "main" timeline (''VideoGame/FireEmblemArchanea''&''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''). Interestingly enough, this has happened twice within that timeline. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral'' was set in the distant past, while ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' was set in the distant future. Being set in the distant future allowed ''Awakening'' to have so many [[CallBack call backs]] and [[MythologyGag mythology gags]] to Archanaea, Gaiden, ''and'' Jugdral all at once, whereas ''Jugdral'''s only ties to Archanea was within the lore.

* The ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' has ''Soulcalibur V'', which jumps ahead seventeen years later after the original series, replaces many of the regular characters with successors, removes others, and has a different storyline compared to previous games. In fact, the game's director Daishi Odashima originally wanted it to be called ''Soul Edge II'', in order to mark his new direction for the franchise. However, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks this did not take with fans at all]] with many feeling like the new characters and story was [[RunningTheAsylum glorified fan-fiction]]. With director Odashima gone and the series promoting pre-time skip characters, it's anyone's guess if his changes will stick.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' were both set in post-apocalyptic California and tended to be focused primarily on the issue of survival in a world after nuclear war. ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', and ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' are set significantly later, have more focus on the RetroUniverse setting and indications that the pre-Great War era was, in some senses, a CrapsackWorld, and instead of showing people just trying to eke out an existence show civilization rebuilding with the major conflicts not being simple survival but what type of societies will emerge.

* The ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' universe...oy.

** ''Videogame/SuperMetroid'' continues the continuity of the first two games, but is essentially a remake of ''Videogame/{{Metroid}}'', taking place on the same planet, with roughly the same plot and the same boss enemies, with a few new surprises.
** ''Videogame/{{Contra}} 3: The Alien Wars'' is basically a remake of Contra with updated graphics and new mechanics. The final BossRush of the game is even a compilation of several bosses from the first two games.

* ''Film/SupermanReturns'' acknowledged the events of the Creator/ChristopherReeve films ''Film/{{Superman}}'' and ''Film/SupermanII'' but ignored the far less liked subsequent sequels.

* The second season of ''Series/BuckRogersInTheTwentyFifthCentury'' changes the setting from the main cast being on Earth and defending it from assorted threats to basing it on a starship and taking on a more ''StarTrek''-style show, with essentially no mention of any events from the first season.

* ''WesternAnmation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'' serves as a soft reboot of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. The girls are still heroes, the old villains are still around, but Pokey Oaks Kindergarten is torn down early in the show and the girls are sent to Midway High School (apparently it's a K-12 school), the girls often fight newer foes instead of the old ones, their personalities have noticeably changed, and they now can create HardLight constructs with little to no mention how they could.

* According to WordOfGod, the forthcoming ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' TV show will definitely be set in the original ''Trek'' timeline.
* The restart of ''Series/DoctorWho'' in 2005 (after being cancelled in 1989 and having a BackdoorPilot in the [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie 1996 TV movie]]) could count as a reboot of the series, focusing in people who never has seen the series before, but also continues the story of The Doctor, this time being the LastOfHisKind.

* While taking place in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' serves as this to the ''[[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan Amazing Spider-Man]]'' series, keeping the director and some continuity from the previous films, but going a bit DarkerAndEdgier and featuring a slightly different costume for Spider-Man himself.

You have a classic property, one that's made money hand over fist for you for years, perhaps decades, but now, it's getting a little long in the tooth. Maybe it's dated, maybe recent installments have tarnished its name, maybe it's just bogged down in ContinuityLockout. Perhaps it's just not going well. Or maybe the creators just want to try something new. Resetting the thing to bring in new fans sounds like a good idea, but you're afraid the backlash among existing fans to a ContinuityReboot will be ''epic'' in its drama. What to do? Well, instead of starting over, dip into the Troper Well and pull out a way of explaining you're not ''really'' tossing away the classic stories the fans love. No, this is an AlternateTimeline. Or a sequel set sometime after the events of the old series that mentions the things fans loved but quietly neglects or {{Retcon}}s the things not so beloved. Perhaps it's a {{Retool}} where significant parts of the setting are changed and even most of the main cast are replaced going forward. Or a prequel, or a TimeSkip, or even a separate adventure taking place somewhere else so you have an excuse not to mention the events of the original series, while not denying they took place.

Contrast ContinuityReboot, where the old story and continuing plot lines are explicitly abandoned and started over.

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[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' takes place in a Distant Future which acknowledges the events of the first series, but has a very different plot and an all new set of characters.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' were both set in post-apocalyptic California and tended to be focused primarily on the issue of survival in a world after nuclear war. ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', and ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' are set significantly later, have more focus on the RetroUniverse setting and indications that the pre-Great War era was, in some senses, a CrapsackWorld, and instead of showing people just trying to eke out an existence show civilization rebuilding with the major conflicts not being simple survival but what type of societies will emerge.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout'' and ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' were both set in post-apocalyptic California and tended to be focused primarily on the issue of survival in a world after nuclear war. ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', ''VideoGame/FalloutNew Vegas'', and ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' are set significantly later, have more focus on the RetroUniverse setting and indications that the pre-Great War era was, in some senses, a CrapsackWorld, and instead of showing people just trying to eke out an existence show civilization rebuilding with the major conflicts not being simple survival but what type of societies will emerge.

You have a classic property, one that's made money hand over fist for you for years, perhaps decades, but now, it's getting a little long in the tooth. Maybe it's dated, maybe recent installments have tarnished its name, maybe it's just bogged down in ContinuityLockout. Resetting the thing to bring in new fans sounds like a good idea, but you're afraid the backlash among existing fans to a ContinuityReboot will be ''epic'' in its drama. What to do? Well, instead of starting over, dip into the Troper Well and pull out a way of explaining you're not ''really'' tossing away the classic stories the fans love. No, this is an AlternateTimeline. Or a sequel set sometime after the events of the old series that mentions the things fans loved but quietly neglects or {{Retcon}}s the things not so beloved. Or a prequel, or a TimeSkip, or even a separate adventure taking place somewhere else so you have an excuse not to mention the events of the original series.

Contrast ContinuityReboot, where the old story is explicitly abandoned, or {{Retool}} where the existing continuity is maintained but the property undergoes a significant change going forward.

* ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'' ended up being a prequel to the ''Franchise/{{Aliens}}'' universe and altering some long-held ideas about the setting.

* ''Franchise/MassEffectAndromeda'' is set in a different galaxy from the Milky Way, over 600 years after the original trilogy, with the characters having gone into stasis at about the same time as the events of the second game and in intergalactic space during the events of the third game, allowing the creators the opportunity to not have the climactic events of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' Trilogy (and the different endings and player choices) be referenced. This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] at one point when a news broadcast mentions they've sent a message back to the Milky Way but haven't heard a response yet.

You have a classic property, one that's made money hand over fist for you for years, perhaps decades, but now, it's getting a little long in the tooth. Maybe it's dated, maybe recent installments have tarnished its name, maybe it's just bogged down in ContinuityLockout. Resetting the thing to bring in new fans sounds like a good idea, but you're afraid the backlash among existing fans to a ContinuityReboot will be ''epic'' in its drama. What to do? Well, instead of starting over, dip into the Troper Well and pull out a way of explaining you're not ''really'' tossing away the classic stories the fans love. No, this is an AlternateTimeline. Or a sequel set sometime after the events of the old series that mentions the things fans loved but quietly neglects or [[RetCon RetCons]] the things not so beloved. Or a prequel, or a TimeSkip, or even a separate adventure taking place somewhere else so you have an excuse not to mention the events of the original series.

Contrast ContinuityReboot, where the old story is explicitly abandoned, or ReTool where the existing continuity is maintained but the property undergoes a significant change going forward.

* ''Franchise/MassEffectAndromeda'' is set in a different galaxy from the Milky Way, over 600 years after the original trilogy, with the characters having gone into stasis at about the same time as the events of the second game and in intergalactic space during the events of the third game, allowing the creators the opportunity to not have the climactic events of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' Trilogy (and the different endings and player choices) be referenced. This lampshaded at one point when a news broadcast mentions they've sent a message back to the Milky Way but haven't heard a response yet.

You have a classic property, one that's made money hand over fist for you for years, perhaps decades, but now, it's getting a little long in the tooth. Maybe it's dated, maybe recent installments have tarnished its name, maybe it's just bogged down in ContinuityLockout. Resetting the thing to bring in new fans sounds like a good idea, but you're afraid the backlash among existing fans to a ContinuityReboot will be ''epic'' in its drama. What to do? Well, instead of starting over, dip into the Troper Well and pull out a way of explaining you're not ''really'' tossing away the classic stories the fans love. No, this is an AlternateTimeline. Or a sequel set sometime after the events of the old series that mentions the things fans loved but quietly neglects or [[RetCon RetCons]] the things not so beloved. Or a prequel, or even a separate adventure taking place somewhere else so you have an excuse not to mention the events of the original series.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect Andromeda'' is set in a different galaxy from the Milky Way, over 600 years after the original trilogy, with the characters having gone into stasis at about the same time as the events of the second game and in intergalactic space during the events of the third game, allowing the creators the opportunity to not have the climactic events of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' Trilogy (and the different endings and player choices) be referenced. This lampshaded at one point when a news broadcast mentions they've sent a message back to the Milky Way but haven't heard a response yet.