Line #3 Trivia/DefJamSeries


1	* CreatorDrivenSuccessor: ''Vendetta'' uses the engine of AKI's [[VideoGame/WWFNoMercy N64 wrestling games]] with very few modifications. There's more difference between ''Vendetta'' and ''Fight for NY'' than there is between ''No Mercy'' and ''Vendetta'', though even ''Fight for NY'' has a lot of familiar animations.[[note]]''Icon'',[[FanonDiscontinuity of course, doesn't exist]].[[/note]]
2	* CreatorKiller: Happened twice, killing off ''two'' developers and multiple other games on the way. ''Icon'' was poorly received due to its gameplay shift and it failed to sell nearly as well as the previous games, resulting in the death of EA Chicago and the cancellation of ''Def Jam Icon 2'' and a [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] [[http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/3/5/4037436/ea-marvel-comics-fighter themed spiritual successor to the Def Jam games.]] Def Jam then re-sold the series' rights to Creator/{{Konami}} and Autumn Games, who created ''Def Jam Rapstar''. Due to ''Rapstar'''s failure to sell and [[https://www.engadget.com/2012-03-31-emi-sues-def-jam-rapstar-creators.html the legal shitstorm]] [[https://www.engadget.com/2012-05-24-konami-and-autumn-games-sued-for-fraud-over-15-million-def-jam.html that resulted from it]], [[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-05-15-4mm-games-from-start-up-to-shut-down 4mm Games]] died. Furthermore, the ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'' development team was laid off by Autumn Games, which forced them [[https://www.polygon.com/2012/11/20/3672526/skullgirls-team-laid-off-form-lab-zero-games-offer-update-on-pc to create]] Creator/LabZeroGames and [[https://www.polygon.com/2013/3/13/4101572/skullgirls-fundraising-drive-tops-375000-will-add-big-band-to-roster the entire fundraising campaign for the game]], which also ended up shutting down for reasons unrelated to the Def Jam series.
3	* DivorcedInstallment: ''Def Jam Vendetta'' was originally planned to be a Wrestling/{{WCW}} game, tentatively titled ''WCW 2000'' or ''WCW Mayhem 2'', depending on source, for the then-upcoming Platform/PlayStation2. However, [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] lost the WCW license after the latter company was acquired by the Wrestling/{{WW\|E}}F in 2001.
4	* DummiedOut: Jervis and Starks, the two police officers seen arresting D-Mob at the start of ''Fight for NY'', are playable characters. Even though they speak in the opening cutscene, they do not talk during fights as their dialogue is unused.
5	* ScrewedByTheLawyers:
6	** The developers behind ''Def Jam Rapstar'' were sued by Creator/{{EMI}} over allegedly using 54 unlicensed tracks that EMI values at $150,000 each without their permission, which resulted in such a legal shitstorm that the game was pulled from circulation and killed 4mm Games in the process.
7	** Good luck having either ''Vendetta'' or ''Fight for NY'' being re-released due to not only EA having to contract Def Jam and [[Creator/UniversalMusicGroup its parent company]] to use the name, but the sheer number of celebrity likenesses, licensed music, and royalties to spend under license from so many different companies and estates of the rappers or celebrities just to have them on both games isn't worth EA's time and money, especially with the company's modern-day thinking of releasing games.
8	* TheOtherDarrin: Many of the returning original characters in ''Fight for NY'' were given new voice actors.
9	* TroubledProduction: Not with the series itself, but related to it. Konami and Autumn Games got hit with a lawsuit related to ''Def Jam Rapstar'', and it caused troubles for ''Skullgirls'', a game ''completely unrelated to the Def Jam label in any way''. For more details, check out [[Trivia/{{Skullgirls}} that game's Trivia page]].
10	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: At least five fighters were planned to appear in ''Fight for NY'', but cut fairly late in development. These were Kurrupt (replaced with Music/SlickRick), Kelis, Music/LLCoolJ (though his theme remained in the game), and the returns of Music/{{DMX}} and S-Word from ''Vendetta''.

Context Trivia / DefJamSeries