What defines a spinoff?

[time gear]

A conversation I had recently about Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) inspired this thread. The conversation was in regards to whether the game counts as a spinoff title just because it shifts the main protagonist to a different character, despite being canon to the main series and using the general same gameplay formula the series had been using up to that point in 3D.

This got me thinking. Where exactly do you draw the line? What are you allowed to change before a game no longer counts as a main series title and starts being a spinoff? There are a few obvious things such as taking place in a time period greatly removed from the rest of the series (Mega Man X, Zero, ZX, etc.), Alternate timelines (Mega Man Battle Network, Starforce, etc.), Genre changes (Sonic Pinball Party, etc.), but how far are you allowed to go otherwise?

Do games such as Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic and the Black Knight, etc. count as main series titles because they are canon, take place in the same general timeframe as the rest of the series, and don't stray from the usual gameplay formula all that extremely? Or are the changes they do bring to the table enough to validate considering them spinoffs? Does this apply to other series such as Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Tales of, etc. or does the fact that they are RPG's put them under a different ruleset regarding this?

I'd like to see what everyone thinks about this. It's a really interesting thing to think about when you start diving into it. Personally, I'm of the opinion that games like Shadow, Secret Rings, Black Knight, etc. are all main series titles despite their differences.

 

[Golden Shine]

Not a black and white answer, obviously...


Ambition/scope is a huge deal. Staying vaguely within the same genre is important. Sonic is most often an action platformer, not a kart or party game. Another contributor is how much the fanbase likes it and how easy it is to dismiss out of the timeline.


In my head Sonic Colors was initially a spinoff when I first played it. It being basically a downgrade and dumb-ification of Sonic Unleashed to suit a weaker console is what made me consider it a spinoff. Usually you'd expect a game to push a franchise to greater heights in at least some capacity, after all.

But today, I would call it canon. Despite it's decrease in graphics, scope, and generally not introducing any improvements gameplay-wise, the Sonic series has been following it's style ever since. The series is more simple and unambitious, it's writing is a comedy act with a focus on harping on itself, not to mention the consistent voice actors, graphic style and wisps. Sonic Colors basically is the franchise now thanks to it's reception. Therefore it's a mainline entry, even if I would've never considered it to be one among the lines of the classics, the Adventure games, or even Shadow/Unleashed/'06.


The Secret Rings and Black Knight series is too different in gameplay, presentation, and too easy to dismiss from the timeline. That doesn't make it bad or non-canon, but...definitely a spinoff. It helps that SEGA called it the "Story Book" side-series.