10 Successful Video Game Series You Didn’t Know Were Spin-Offs

There are many game series that started life as spin-offs, a fact that’s not always obvious. These games can stand apart on their own, and tend to cater to fans who wouldn’t have necessarily liked the originals.

While some share genres with their forebears, others spin off concepts into completely new directions. It’s particularly interesting to see how many of these games end up being more successful than the games that inspired them.

10

The Sims Came From SimCity

You might recognize The Sims as a hugely popular life simulation game series, but it actually started as an offshoot of the city-building game SimCity. After SimCity took off, Will Wright developed an idea called Doll House, which shifted the focus from entire cities to a single household, letting players craft a domestic life with virtual residents.

This idea centered on digital people, later named Sims, whose decisions and purchases would influence their happiness, guided by needs like hunger and cleanliness. At first, Maxis executives were doubtful about The Sims, allegedly nicknaming it “The Toilet Game” because of its emphasis on everyday activities.

In the end, The Sims turned out to be a massive hit, selling millions of copies and becoming a cultural icon. The Game far surpassed other SimCity spin-offs and grew into its own major series. We may not get Sims 5, but at least InZoi was inspired by The Sims.

The Sims 4

Released

September 2, 2014

ESRB

T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

Maxis

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

9

Dynasty Warriors Came From The Romance of the Three Kingdoms

You probably recognize Dynasty Warriors for its massive hack-and-slash battles, but it actually started as a side project from Koei’s more strategy-focused Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. That original series gives you control over warring states, forcing you to manage political, economic, and military efforts to bring China under one rule.

Dynasty Warriors created a different kind of experience for players who just wanted straight-up combat. However, the main Romance of the Three Kingdoms series keeps its focus on deep strategic gameplay and never changed despite the success of its spin-off.

Both the Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms series take heavy inspiration from the 14th-century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The hack-and-slash missions often recreate famous battles from the novel.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins

Released

January 17, 2025

ESRB

Teen // Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol

Developer(s)

Omega Force

Publisher(s)

Koei Tecmo

8

Red Dead Redemption Continued What Red Dead Revolver Started

You might recognize Red Dead Redemption as a famous open-world Western game, but it actually started as a spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver. After Revolver came out, Rockstar wanted to make their own Western game from the ground up because they felt Revolver didn’t truly feel like a Rockstar game in its gameplay.

The choice to make Red Dead Redemption as a spin-off came from a wish to improve on Revolver’s main mechanics and expand them to match the level of other Rockstar games, especially trying to achieve the same quality, size, and detail as the Grand Theft Auto series.

This change took the game away from Revolver’s more straightforward, level-based design and turned it into a living open world. I don’t think Red Dead Revolver is all that good of a game, so I’m glad so much changed in Redemption.

Red Dead Redemption

Released

May 18, 2010

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs

Developer(s)

Rockstar San Diego

Publisher(s)

Rockstar Games

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7

Persona Was a Spin off of Shin Megami Tensei

You probably know the Persona series as a well-liked Japanese role-playing game franchise, but it actually started as a side series to the Shin Megami Tensei games. Players liked the high school setting of the original series, so Atlus chose to develop a separate spin-off series centered on the lives and personal challenges of teenagers and young adults.

It’s a turn-based game that is incredibly fun, but the reason for creating the spin-off was to focus on different themes and gameplay styles. This difference allowed Persona to eventually become more popular than Shin Megami Tensei, especially outside Japan.

Shin Megami Tensei usually involves post-apocalyptic worlds, large-scale conflicts, and lots of dungeon exploration. However, Persona puts more emphasis on personal stories set in mostly ordinary urban fantasy environments

Persona 3 Reload

Released

February 2, 2024

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence

Developer(s)

P-Studio

Publisher(s)

Atlus

6

Avowed Is Part of Pillars of Eternity’s World

Avowed is an action RPG and a spin-off from Obsidian Entertainment’s isometric RPG series, Pillars of Eternity. After Fallout: New Vegas was released, Obsidian made Pillars of Eternity, which built a loyal fanbase.

When Microsoft bought Obsidian in 2018, new projects began, including Avowed. Both games take place in the same universe, called Eora. You’ll see a continuation of the world’s rich lore, including its different races, gods, languages, countries, and continents.

The main reasons for creating the spin-off were to change the genre and reach a wider audience. While Pillars of Eternity is a classic isometric RPG, Avowed switches to a first-person perspective with action-RPG gameplay to attract players who might not know or enjoy isometric RPGs.

Avowed

Systems

Released

February 18, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence

Developer(s)

Obsidian Entertainment

Publisher(s)

Xbox Game Studios

5

Apex Legends Was Almost Titanfall 3

Apex Legends is a popular free-to-play battle royale game that started as a spin-off from Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall series. The game originally came from a prototype for a survival mode that took key gameplay elements from Titanfall.

Apex Legends keeps Titanfall’s movement and gunplay, and adapted them to a battle royale style. Even though the genre is different, Apex Legends is still firmly set in the Titanfall universe and follows the same timeline, just a little further into the future.

One big factor in making Apex Legends a spin-off was likely that the game didn’t include major Titanfall features like Titans or a single-player story. Basically, calling it Titanfall 3 might have upset and driven away longtime Titanfall fans.

Apex Legends

Released

February 4, 2019

ESRB

T for Teen: Blood, Violence

Developer(s)

Respawn Entertainment

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

4

Super Mario Bros. Came From Donkey Kong

Mario started out as a character in the Donkey Kong series before getting his own franchise, beginning with Mario Bros. His very first appearance was as Jumpman in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong.

Players control Mario, a carpenter, as he tries to save his girlfriend from the ape. He even showed up as a bad guy in the follow-up game, Donkey Kong Jr.

The release of Super Mario Bros. introduced features that would become key parts of Mario’s identity, especially his job as a plumber. By making Super Mario Bros. its own separate game, Nintendo moved Mario from being just a character in the Donkey Kong story to the star of his own adventure, setting the stage for his huge franchise.

Super Mario Bros.

Systems

Released

November 17, 1985

ESRB

e

Developer(s)

Nintendo R&D4

Engine

miyamoto

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3

NieR Is Based on the Ending of Drankengard

NieR is a unique action RPG, but its origins are connected to the Drakengard series. The idea for what would eventually become NieR first began as a concept for a third game in the Drakengard series. As the project developed, these early ideas were changed, causing it to drift further from the main Drakengard storyline and eventually turn into a completely new spin-off.

NieR takes place in an alternate reality that comes from one of the many possible endings of the first Drakengard game, specifically the fifth ending (Ending E). In this ending, characters from Drakengard cross into modern-day Tokyo through a dimensional barrier and fight a monstrous creature.

This battle and what happens afterward bring magic into the world and cause a worldwide disaster and plague, leading to the ruined future seen in NieR. So it’s a spin-off but also a sequel in some ways.

Nier

Systems

Released

April 27, 2010

ESRB

t

Developer(s)

Cavia

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

Engine

Toylo Engine [Note 1]

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2

Rune Factory Is a Fantasy Harvest Moon

Rune Factory is a fantasy role-playing game where you also manage a farm, but it originally started as a side series to Story of Seasons (Harvest Moon). The very first Rune Factory game was made to mark the 10th anniversary of Harvest Moon and even had the subtitle “A Fantasy Harvest Moon.”

However, it became so well-liked that it developed its own identity, and developers removed the Harvest Moon connection from the Japanese title. While Story of Seasons sticks strictly to farming and life simulation, Rune Factory includes battles, exploring dungeons, and a story about rescuing the land.

This major change in gameplay and setting likely helped the series attract players who wanted more fighting and adventure alongside the calm farming and social elements. Sometimes, I feel like Stardew Valley is more like a middle ground for these two games.

Rune Factory 4

Systems

Released

July 19, 2012

ESRB

E for Everyone

Developer(s)

Neverland Co.

Publisher(s)

XSEED Games, Marvelous

Franchise

Rune Factory

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1

Judgement Is the Other Side of Yakuza

Judgment started as a way to tell a different kind of story while staying in the same world as Yakuza. Judgment has a lot in common with the Yakuza games. It uses an improved version of the same game engine and has a very similar feel.

The combat system will seem familiar if you’ve played Yakuza 0, with different fighting styles to choose from. The game takes place in the same universe, mostly in the famous district of Kamurocho. You’ll recognize many locations and even the same kinds of background characters.

Most importantly, it keeps the same packed city full of side activities and mini-games, giving you plenty to do. My favorites are playing arcade games or visiting batting cages.

Judgment

Released

June 25, 2019

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol

Developer(s)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

Publisher(s)

Sega

It’s hard not to like spin-offs when they appeal to bigger audiences. However, it’s understandable if you don’t like where each series spun off from. Unfortunately, many of the original games on the list died out over time. So if you want to play a modern version of the originals, you may run into problems.