10 Amazing Game Spin-Offs You Totally Forgot Existed

While Call of Duty annually dominates sales charts on release, there was a time when Medal of Honor was the seasoned veteran that ruled the FPS battlefield. Ironically, CoD was created by Infinity Ward, a studio formed by burned-out developers from the MoH series, birthing it as a direct rival that decimated EA’s once-dominant franchise.

Then, when virtual reality was being touted as the next big thing, major publishers wanted a piece of it, and EA teamed up with Meta for an Oculus Rift-exclusive spin-off of its dormant FPS brand.

Developed by none other than Respawn Entertainment, founded by Infinity Ward’s own Vince Zampella, Above and Beyond was a big-budget attempt to rejuvenate it. It played like a full-scale cinematic reboot, featuring an engaging story, striking set pieces (including a breathtaking D-Day landing and a tense U-571-inspired submarine shootout), and polished interactive mechanics. The marketing push was huge - but the game quickly flopped and faded from view.

Too many factors worked against it: VR is niche, the game required a high-end PC and an exclusive headset, and its massive file size turned off most players. The pacing also suffered early on, with stop-start gameplay before it found its rhythm. The project heamorrhaged money, though it later made its way to Steam and the Quest; the damage was done.

In another reality, Above and Beyond could have been the triumphant return this series deserved - instead, it became a cautionary tale about ambition meeting the limits of its medium.