Shared universes have been all the rage in mainstream entertainment for a while now. TV shows and movies often operate within a franchise of shared films, even made by different production companies, with characters, storylines, and themes overarching between all projects.

With the popularity of Marvel and DC universes, you'd think that the phenomenon would have come to gaming first, given the more lenient production and licensing costs for it compared to TV and movies. Surprisingly, it hasn't, but it would be in the best interests of game developers if it did.

What Is a Shared Game Universe?

While you'll be familiar with crossover games such as Kingdom Hearts, there are surprisingly few shared game universes around. So what exactly are we referring to here?

A shared game universe is a shared continuity/canon that multiple game franchises, made by the same production company or not, can exist in together. The actions of one franchise have happened in another, and both characters and storylines jump from one to the other while still being the same version.

Think of Iron Man as a franchise, and Spider-Man as a franchise. As you'll have seen, they both had their characters and movie storylines happen within the overarching "universe" of the MCU.

Ubisoft offers Easter Eggs of each for its franchises Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Watchdogs, but it's not really a shared game universe in an overt, tangible way.

Game developers could really benefit from the widespread adoption of shared game universes, for many reasons.

1. Greater Storytelling Potential

Developers could build up an arc in a shared game universe. While there are plenty of single-player games that have great, long-lasting story arcs, but going one step further and having stories across multiple franchises all happening in the same world and contributing to an overarching theme? That's been Hollywood's (successful) blueprint for years.

Slower-burning stories that audiences are likely to appreciate so long as the combat is good. It also means that with the trend of video game campaigns being shorter as time goes on, it allows developers to still build out a long story without having to sacrifice major story beats due to constraints on story length.

2. Cross-Pollination of Audiences

Having the same video game characters showing up in different games is something fans love, it's also a way to continually develop a character. There are many reasons why character development is important in video games, so anything that aids in that is ideal. You likely remember the thrill of watching The Avengers after years of watching the individual MCU films and seeing cameos from familiar characters.

It would be the same if done in video games. Imagine a mission in Watchdogs where you had to catch Desmond Miles from Assassin's Creed, or the events of Square Enix's Marvel's The Avengers existing in the same continuity as Insomniac's Spider-Man. It's better for fans all around if game franchises interconnect like this.

3. The Audience Is Primed for a Shared Game Universe

You've been primed for this type of format in video games for years if you keep up with the latest movies and TV shows. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Arrow Shared Universe, DC Cinematic Universe (if it counts), this has been the blueprint for years in mainstream media.

The phenomenon becoming widespread in gaming would not exactly shock the audience of your games. They likely know of the concept already, and there's always fan fiction or fan videos by fans of game characters meeting up together; so there's clearly demand.

4. A Shared Gaming Universe Makes Better Use of Assets

In a shared game universe, you could reuse game assets much more effectively. Think about having to create a certain type of animal for your game set on a futuristic alien planet. If your game was in the same universe as another sci-fi game that had an alien animal, you could simply re-use that.

Thus, you'd save the time and cost associated with creating an entirely new asset from scratch. With how many rising costs to the gaming industry there are, re-using assets so freely like that could do some serious legwork in improving the fiscal status of video game companies.

5. Shared Game Universes Would Maintain Interest

With the shared universe craze across TV and cinema, audiences are used to having to offer a certain level of "buy-in" to a franchise. They expect longer storylines, arcs, and building up a fictional world. This type of prolonged interest in a game franchise would be beneficial to everyone.

It ensures that audiences remain engaged, increasing the significance of the work you're doing and taking some of that pressure of a completely new IP away. With that comes further shareholder interest, as they see a money-maker with longevity. That can lead to better funding, better facilities, and general growth all around.

6. It Encourages Collaboration

With a shared game universe, you are encouraged to collaborate more with other developers; both internal to your team and external.

This takes some pressure off, making the game development process a more social, teamwork-orientated process. So long as everything is managed effectively, this can bring out the best in everyone and lead to richer, higher-quality video games.

7. Shared Game Universes Are a More Lucrative Business Model

You only have to look at the success of the MCU to see that shared game universes are a more lucrative business model. As mentioned, audiences buy-in more to franchises with shared universes, due to how familiar they've become. But also, you only have to look at data about subscription model increases to see that audiences want longevity. Even though PS5 and Xbox Series games are more expensive compared to previous generations, audiences stick around for something that looks to last through the years.

A more successful business model means a lot less chaotic pressure, more job stability, and more job confidence, so it would be perfect for developers if more game franchises adopted a shared game universe.

Shared Game Universes Should Be the Future of Gaming

It's a surprise that shared game universes are not more of a thing within the game industry. It would be best for developers and arguably for audiences if games moved to shared universes in the future.

Just like there are things the gaming industry could take from TV and cinema, the inverse is true. All of these different verticals in the entertainment sector would do well to emulate each other on their strengths.