Franchises

Action-adventure series originally created by 2K Czech and published by 2K. Later mainline games are developed by Hangar 13, with remakes and remasters of the earlier entries.

Nintendo franchise starring Mario. Spans platformers from Super Mario Bros. through 3D adventures such as Super Mario 64, Galaxy, and Odyssey, plus spin-offs across Kart, Party, sports, and RPGs.

Klei Entertainment side-scrolling stealth platformer, originally published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox Live Arcade in 2012.

BioWare military science-fiction RPG franchise starring Commander Shepard. The original trilogy spans Mass Effect through Mass Effect 3, with later entries including Mass Effect: Andromeda and the Legendary Edition remaster.

Mattel media franchise centered on He-Man and the defense of Eternia against Skeletor. Video games span Mattel Electronics’ 1983 Power of He-Man through 1980s computer tie-ins, early-2000s console and GBA titles, and later mobile games.

Neo-noir third-person shooter series from Remedy Entertainment and later Rockstar. Max Payne is a New York detective turned vigilante after his family is murdered.

First-person shooter series created by Steven Spielberg. DreamWorks Interactive made the 1999 PlayStation original, published by Electronic Arts.

Konami stealth action series created by Hideo Kojima. It began with Metal Gear on MSX in 1987; players typically hunt a bipedal nuclear tank as Solid Snake.

Konami stealth action series created by Hideo Kojima. Players typically control a special-forces operative, often Solid Snake, hunting the bipedal nuclear tank Metal Gear.

Post-apocalyptic novels and games that began with Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033. Ukrainian studio 4A Games adapted the books as Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro Exodus, with Redux remasters and next-gen Enhanced/Complete Editions continuing the Spartan Rangers' story from the Moscow Metro to Russia's surface wilderness.

Monolith Productions action-adventure set in Tolkien's legendarium between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Gondorian ranger Talion bonds with the wraith of Celebrimbor.

Rockstar open-world street racing series developed primarily by Rockstar San Diego (formerly Angel Studios). It began with Midnight Club: Street Racing in 2000 and ran through Midnight Club II, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, and Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

Science-fantasy RPG series created by New World Computing, later published by 3DO. After Ubisoft acquired the name, the brand continued through Heroes of Might and Magic strategy games, spin-offs, and Ashan-setting titles such as Dark Messiah.

Sandbox game developed and published by Mojang Studios. Markus Persson created it; a public alpha opened on 17 May 2009, and the PC version was fully released on 18 November 2011. Players explore procedurally generated worlds made of blocks, mining materials and building in Survival or Creative. Microsoft bought Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property in November 2014.

DICE first-person parkour series published by Electronic Arts, following Runner Faith Connors through a surveilled near-future city. It began with Mirror's Edge in 2008 and continued with the 2016 reboot Mirror's Edge Catalyst.

Fighting-game franchise that began with Midway’s 1992 arcade hit and continues under NetherRealm Studios. Known for brutal fatalities, cinematic story modes, and a roster of Outworld and Earthrealm warriors across decades of console and PC releases.