10 Greatest Spin-Offs In Video Games
3. Persona
Sometimes a spin-off manages to not only match its parent series in popularity, but supercede it. Case in point: Persona.
Atlus' uber-popular Persona games may have started life as a spin-off to the studio's Shin Megami Tensei series, but it's safe to say that Persona has since surpassed the Tensei games in terms of cultural recognition. Since the release of Persona 3 back in 2007, the franchise has exploded in popularity, spawning movies, anime series, an annual concert and its own series of spin-off games.
Such fanfare is, frankly, no less than Persona deserves. Ever since Persona 3 created the series' signature blend of 'high-school life simulator meets supernatural dungeon-crawler' the games have gone from strength to strength, culminating in the impossibly stylish Persona 5 (itself improved by its excellent re-release, Persona 5: Royal). Each game combines likeable characters, strong plotting and addictive dungeon-crawling to great effect, resulting in the most consistently enjoyable JRPG series of the past ten years.
Combine that with some absolutely banging soundtracks and it's easy to see why Persona has, like a Phantom Thief in the night, taken the hearts of gamers everywhere.