Summary
WhenSuper Smash Bros.hit store shelves in 1999, there weren’t many games that let you see all your favorite characters in one place. Today, crossovers are a routine part of nearly every gaming genre. This sudden surge in crossovers isn’t just a sign of their popularity, but also the result of a much larger trend.
Crossovers Are Taking Over Gaming
Crossovers have been a part of gaming since the 80s, but there’s no denying that their current popularity was largely inspired by theSuper Smash Bros.series. Although Nintendo’s iconic crossover fighting game wasn’t the first of its kind—SNKhad already kick-started the crossover fighter genre withThe King of Fighters ‘94—Super Smash Bros.ultimately revealed the creative potential of crossovers with its chaotic four-player melees and unique hodgepodge of colorful characters.
DirectSmash Bros.cloneslikeMultiVersusandPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalefeature similarly diverse rosters that place M-rated icons alongside colorful cartoon characters. These crossovers aren’t limited to fighting games; you’re able to find similarly bizarre crossovers in almost any other genre, including racing games likeSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, action-RPGs like Disney and Square Enix’sKingdom Heartsseries, and strategy games like the painfully underratedProject X Zone.
However, recent gaming crossovers have taken a different shape. Plenty of popular online multiplayer and mobile games feature limited-time crossover events, usually in the form ofunlockable rewardsorpaid cosmetics. Not only does this help new and obscure franchises get involved in crossovers, but it also provides a chance for games to collaborate with practically anything.
Games likeFortniteandDead By Daylighthave hosted crossovers with comics, movies, other video games, and real-world celebrities. WhileDead By Daylight’s crossovers are mostly themed aroundhorror franchises, it has expanded to other genres by featuring characters fromDungeons & DragonsandAttack on Titan.
Fortnite, on the other hand, is seemingly open to any crossover. Its collaborations range from upcoming Marvel movies, clothing brands like Nike, and the 70s Mexican sitcomEl Chapulín Colorado. No matter how odd some crossovers may seem, pretty much everything has a chance of appearing inFortnite.
Fortnitewasn’t the first game to offer cosmetics through crossovers, but its eclectic mashup of recognizable brands and iconic franchises has inspired similar collaborations in countless other games.Gacha games, battle royale shooters,MMOs, and nearly every other online multiplayer game prominently feature crossovers. Even single-player games likeFinal Fantasy XVandDave the Diverhave hosted limited-time collaborations.
Crossovers are becoming increasingly common, to the point that they may be losing their luster. While it’s still fun to see your favorite franchises pop up in other games, it’s rarely as mind-blowing as the first time we saw Mario and Sonic appear on-screen together. Despite this, there’s more hype surrounding crossovers than ever before, and recent changes in gaming trends may have contributed to their skyrocketing popularity.
Crossovers Are the Perfect Cross-Promotions
Crossovers have always been an easy way for new games to grab the attention of fans from other franchises.Soul Calibur IIattractedThe Legend ofZeldafans by prominently featuring Link on its GameCube box art. Similarly, Square Enix’s failed 3D fighting game,Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, is still widely remembered—though not always positively—due to its inclusion of characters fromFinal Fantasy VII.
Most video game crossovers are really just an effective marketing gimmick. Games likeEhrgeizandSoul Caliburrely on the brand recognition of more popular franchises to bring attention to their lesser-known releases. Other games have used crossovers to revive interest in niche and forgotten franchises, just asSuper Smash Bros.helped revitalize series likeFire EmblemandKid Icarus. In rare cases, crossovers may exist to advertise future releases, such asPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s inclusion of characters and stages from the then-upcomingBioshock InfiniteandDmC: Devil May Cry.
Crossovers are still frequently used as a form of cross-promotion, but newer games are much more dependent on these company collaborations than you may realize. Apart from dedicated crossover games likeMultiVersusandSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, most gaming crossovers are one-off events found inlive-service games; games designed for long-term support through content updates, expansion packs, andbattle passes.
Nothing is more important to thesuccess of live-service gamesthan their ability to retain players, and crossovers are an easy way to keep a playerbase engaged. Not only do these events entice fans to try new games, they also encourage lapsed players to return for new content. These crossovers are usually only available for a limited time, which is meant to push you to play as soon as possible. Many games use this fear of missing out—also known asFOMO—to not only hook you with crossovers, but also keep you playing with the promise of similar crossovers in the future.
Despite many crossovers being tied to predatory business practices, crossovers aren’t inherently bad. Crossover games likeSuper Smash Bros.andProject X Zonearecelebrations of gaming historyfrom creators with a clear respect for the series they feature. Whether it’s by creatively adapting another game’s mechanics into their own format or simply showing how characters from different franchises would interact, the best crossovers use their guest characters in creative and meaningful ways.
Some of the best crossovers can even serve as pseudo-sequels to other works.Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringersintroduced aseries of raidsbased onNier: Automata, with an original story written byNier’s series creator Yoko Taro. TheCastlevaniaseries hasn’t received a new game in over a decade, but it has recently made an unexpected resurgence with theCastlevania-themed expansions toDead Cellsand Vampire Survivors.
Crossovers Are Creating an Identity Crisis
As much as I love crossovers, I won’t deny that I’m getting sick of seeing them in every game. Although there are plenty of fantastic crossovers, most only exist to sell overpriced cosmetics. The problems aren’t just limited to monetization, either, as some crossovers have a negative impact on a game’s visual identity.
The visual identity of a game isn’t something you usually think about, but it can leave a strong impression when designed with care. Visual identity is simply another term for a game’s aesthetic, or the distinctive style and tone that its art direction evokes. A consistent visual identity allows games to unify different environments and character designs under aclearly defined aesthetic.
However, the inclusion of characters from other series can clash with a game’s visual identity. Differences in a character’s original art style or the theme of their design can cause them to seem out of place in another game. When one game features too many clashing designs, it can struggle to define itself with a clear visual identity.
Games likeFortniteandCall of Duty: Warzonefeature an extensive list of guest characters, but they do very little to establish any visual cohesion between their many differing designs and art styles.Fortnitetries to redesign characters to fit its colorful and cartoonish aesthetic, and it usually succeeds.
Call of Duty: Warzoneis arguably even worse at maintaining a cohesive visual identity.Warzone’sphotorealistic graphicswork well for guest characters based on real-world celebrities and live-action media, but the same can’t be said for any of its crossovers with animated works. The guest characters and costumes from these collaborations are uncanny at best and resemble terrible Halloween costumes at worst—and the less said aboutWarzone’sAttack on Titancollaboration, the better.
Crossovers don’t always hurt a game’s visual identity, and some can even blend into a game’s established art style.Street Fighter 6added Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui from theFatal Furyfranchise, and their designs fit perfectly with the cast’s casual streetwear and martial arts attire. EvenTekken 8’s inclusion of Clive Rosfield fromFinal Fantasy XVIdoesn’t seem too strange for its roster, especially since theTekkenseries is home to other characters with equally fantastical designs.
More importantly, crossovers should only be included if they improve a game, or at least make it more appealing. That may sound obvious, but it’s a lesson that even recent games have failed to follow. The upcomingFatal Fury: City of the Wolvesannounced its roster will feature two real-world celebrities—professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and DJ Salvatore Ganacci—as playable fighters, much to the confusion of longtimeFatal Furyfans.
While these additions to the roster may appeal to fans of Ganacci and Ronaldo (I would have preferred Messi), manyFatal Furyplayers wanted to see more characters from the series’ history rather than these bizarre guest characters. The inclusion of real-world celebrities on the roster feels like a waste of two character slots that could have been used for fan-favorite fighters from previousFatal Furygames.
The easiest way for more games to avoid these problems is by choosing crossovers that make sense. Series that share similar fanbases or belong to the same genre would understandably fit perfectly together. It’s no surprise thatStreet Fighterplayers enjoy seeing characters from other 2D fighters likeFatal Fury, or thatMortal Kombatfans also enjoy playing as iconic villains fromgore-filled horror films.
When crossovers are treated like a grab bag of randomly selected licensed characters—as they are inFortniteandWarzone—they lose the creativity and charm that makes crossovers so appealing.
The wave of constant gaming crossovers likely won’t be stopping anytime soon, but they could benefit from slowing down. Most gaming crossovers treat licensed properties like cheap promotional tools. Simply having a list of popular characters from different franchises isn’t exciting on its own.
It’s only when those characters can properly interact with another setting, either through unique gameplay or dialogue, that crossovers can showcase exactly what makes them special.
