History Main / UpliftedSideStory

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16666351550.15155900 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.
->[''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'']\\
"The legend meets its match. But... The world is ever changing... For the fifteenth coming."\\
[Logo turns into ''Final Fantasy XV'']
-->-- ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' announcement trailer

An installment of a large series that started its life as a SpinOff or an ExpansionPack, but eventually became the next mainline entry in it, often due to scope creep or to ExecutiveMeddling (when the execs demand a sequel shipped ''now'', rather than when it's ready).

See also MorePopularSpinoff, which may be the cause or the result of this.

Compare WhatCouldHaveBeen, RefittedForSequel, SidenoteFullStory, and PlotTumor and its subtropes (where a side story overshadows the main plot).
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!!Examples:

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[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'': ''Literature/TheAlloyOfLaw'' was originally conceived as a standalone spinoff novel set between [[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy the Original Trilogy]] and the upcoming "Era 2" trilogy, but, when it was very well received, Creator/BrandonSanderson expanded the story into the ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'' tetralogy.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' wasn't originally intended as a sequel to ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' -- instead, it was conceived as ''Dragon Age: Exodus'', a SpinOff game with a much smaller scope. However, after ''Origins'' became a massive success, publisher Creator/ElectronicArts demanded from Creator/BioWare a fully-fledged sequel within less than 16 months, forcing them to repurpose ''Exodus'', with [[ContestedSequel polarizing results]]. Downplayed with ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', which was conceived as a mainline entry from the get-go but had to retroactively absorb much of the plot from the ''[=DA2=]'' expansion ''Exalted March'', which was planned but scrapped after its main game underperformed in sales.
* In 2012, Creator/{{Volition}} was working on new DLC for ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', titled ''Enter the Dominatrix'', as well as the next mainline entry, ''Saints Row: Part Four'', which was to be set in a whole new city. However, its parent company Creator/{{THQ}} experienced financial troubles and told Volition to abandon ''Part Four'' and to turn ''[=EtD=]'' into the next main installment, released in 2014 as ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV''. The game proved even more controversial than ''The Third'', mainly because it recycled the latter's world map almost without alterations (for the first time in the series) and took a sharp turn away from urban crime sandboxing into quasi-SuperHero territory. Later DLC for ''Saints Row IV'', also named ''Enter the Dominatrix'', explores the plot changes between the original DLC and ''IV'', such as Zinyak being changed from a DiscOneFinalBoss to the BigBad and others.
* The ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series is a downplayed example: having started out as a spin-off of the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series, it has reached equal heights (especially in the West) without fully eclipsing the original games, which are still going strong.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' began life as SpinOff game under the ''Franchise/{{Fabula Nova Crystallis|FinalFantasy}}'' banner, originally named ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'' and sharing the mythos with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII''. However, ''Versus XIII'' went through a lot of DevelopmentHell. The rebooting of the project and turning into a mainline installment was basically an attempt to salvage it.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' for the original [=PlayStation=] wasn't originally conceived as the third mainline ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' installment, but [[GaidenGame a side game]]. The third installment was originally supposed to be the one in the works for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. However, development of the [=PS2=] game ran into issues due to the new hardware, which likely would've resulted in a longer wait between installments. As a result, Creator/{{Capcom}} made the side game into the official third installment. In turn, the [=PS2=] title became the fourth numbered installment: ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' has a side quest in which you help (or betray) an android from the Commonwealth escaping from the evil group of scientists known as the Institute with the help of a group called the [[UndergroundRailroad Railroad]]. ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' takes place in the Commonwealth, features the Institute as major villains (unless you join them), has the Railroad as a major joinable faction, and prominently features synths in the plot.
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[[folder:Web Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Bionicle}}'''s ''Mata Nui Online Game'' (aka ''Mata Nui Adventure Game'') by Templar Studios was originally envisioned as an interactive web layout to the 2001 bionicle.com site, before being re-imagined as one of the site's many games. Templar was given mere table scraps to work with, as the main story was set to be told via the high profile ''The Legend of Mata Nui'' PC game, featuring the franchise's primary heroes, the Toa. ''MNOG'' had to make do with the "nobodies", fleshing out the unexplored side characters and an [[FeaturelessProtagonist unknown]] PlayerCharacter who would only catch occasional glimpses of the Toa. Even the game assets were of low quality because Toys/{{LEGO}} refused to help out the Templar team. This also lead to [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness early or contradictory concepts]] appearing in the game, which LEGO at the time deemed non-canon. As ''MNOG'' neared its final chapter with no set end goal, ''The Legend of Mata Nui'' was abruptly cancelled, and without another storytelling alternative, LEGO tasked Templar with concluding both their own side story and the main plot intended for the Toa and their fight against [[BigBad the Makuta]]. ''MNOG'' pulled it off so well, it became the most celebrated piece of ''BIONICLE'' media and was cited as an inspiration for the ''[[TheMovie Mask of Light]]'' animated film, and most of the game was later given canon status due to fan demand. The player character, christened Takua, became one of the franchise's main heroes. When the unfinished ''TLOMN'' leaked to the net in 2018, fans still agreed ''MNOG'' was better.
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