Fans have always speculated about the deeper meaning of the characters and themes in their favorite video games. These started out in the playground and eventually moved on to the Internet, which allowed people from all over the world to share their ideas over what they think really happened in the stories of classic video games.
There are entire websites dedicated to fan theories, which involve people's ideas about video games that may differ from that of the intent of their creator. These can range from everything to the preferences of various characters to whether the events of the game actually happened or not.
The developers of the games will sometimes throw the fans a bone by directly confirming or debunking their theories in interviews. They may also elect to answer the theories in sequels or remakes of the game, though the players may need to dig hard in order to find them.
We are here today to look at the prominent video game fan theories that were confirmed by the developers themselves or were answered in later games. From the truth about Symmetra, to the real name of the doomed Final Fantasy Weapon.
Here are Fifteen Shocking Video Game Fan Theories That Actually Got Confirmed!
15 Smashing Toys Together
Fighting games have rarely needed to come up with a reason for why all of these unique characters are battling each other. You don't need much of a reason other than "a rich dude has put on a tournament."
The Super Smash Bros. series has never needed to make sense, considering the fact that it is a crossover game which has characters from widely different settings.
Satoru Iwata actually confirmed that the characters in the Super Smash Bros. series are all just toys. This was a decision made early on when the only characters in the game belonged to first-party Nintendo titles, as they didn't want to make it seem as if Mario was actually beating up Pikachu. That's also why you don't see any blood or guts in the Super Smash Bros. games.
14 The Return Of The Hero Of Time
The world of The Legend of Zelda games is host to a cycle of conflict. A new version of Link, Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf are doomed to keep appearing and fight over the fate of the Triforce. The gap between the arrival of each new crop of heroes & villains can be anywhere from centuries to millennia.
Hyrule Historia revealed that two versions of Link were able to meet other. The book revealed that the Hero's Shade who teaches the current Link his sword techniques in Twilight Princess is actually the Link from Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask who was sent back in time by Princess Zelda. He died with the regret that he was never able to pass on his knowledge and techniques to another, which is why he was allowed to linger in Hyrule so that he could one day teach his skills to another.
13 The Shinra Bloodline
The Final Fantasy games have mostly used unique settings that are different between each iteration. The world of Final Fantasy II is different from those of every other mainline game in the series. This was an intentional choice in order to allow Square to keep things fresh and allowing them to explore new ideas without being restricted by a setting.
It has been confirmed in official supplemental materials that the world of Final Fantasy VII actually originates from the setting of Final Fantasy X-2. It was revealed that Shinra would attempt to refine the energy of the Farplane, though he wouldn't be able to do it in his lifetime. Shinra's descendants would go on to explore the galaxy, where they finally settled on a world where the life energy of the planet could be used as a power source. The Cetra were diminished after their costly war against Jenova, so there was no one around to stop them. They would go on to form the Shinra Electric Power Company in honor of their ancestor.
12 The Scion Of Team Rocket
The rival of Pokémon Gold & Silver might be the biggest jerk in the whole series. Gary/Blue was a jerk, but he was still a great trainer who managed to become the Champion of the Indigo League. All of the rivals after Silver were pretty forgettable, so he stands out for his nasty attitude towards people and Pokémon alike.
In Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, one of the Team Rocket scientists will wonder if Red is Giovanni's son. He then corrects this statement, as he remembers that Giovanni's son had red hair. This started a wave of speculation concerning the idea that Silver is Giovanni's kid, which explains his attitude towards the world.
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver finally clarified matters. The special Celebi event will allow the player to travel back in time. You get to see Giovanni abandoning his son so that he can go into hiding and train in secret.
11 The Prices Are Right
The Call of Duty series isn't as worried about its continuity as some other franchises, due to the fact that it now features multiple timelines and settings. This hasn't stopped fans from theorizing over connections between the characters that you meet throughout the games.
One of the most notable connections that fans speculated over was the idea that Captain Price from Modern Warfare was related to the Price that you met in the original Call of Duty games that were set during World War II.
Sami Onur (one of the character designers for the series) has confirmed that the Price you met in the original Call of Duty games was actually the grandfather of the Captain Price you meet in Modern Warfare.
10 The Shattered Zelda Timeline
The Legend of Zelda series uses a similar tactic that Final Fantasy has used with its setting. Most of the Zelda games take place in Hyrule, but each iteration of the setting can be vastly different from the others The world of The Wind Waker is almost totally different from that of Twilight Princess.
The Zelda fans had long speculated that the games took place in different timelines, which helped to answer why some of the Zelda titles were more connected to each other than the others.
In 2011, a book called Hyrule Historia was released. It finally confirmed the existence of multiple timelines, which were split apart during the ending of Ocarina of Time. The original Zelda games existed in a timeline where Link was killed by Ganon during the final battle of Ocarina of Time. Wind Waker took place in the timeline where Princess Zelda sent Link back in time, leaving Hyrule defenseless, while Majora's Mask took place in the timeline that contained Young Link.
9 Futaba's Syndrome
The most secretive member of the Phantom Thieves in Persona 5 is Futaba Sakura, who is also known as the Oracle. She doesn't directly fight in battle with the other members of the group as she is their supporter. Futaba uses her knowledge to help the group when they are in a dungeon, as well as occasionally offering the power of her Persona to help them in battle.
Futaba is a total shut-in, which is a response to trauma that she endured in her youth. It is possible for the protagonist to help her connect with the outside world, which you do through Futaba's Social Link.
A lot of Persona 5 fans suspected that Futaba is autistic. Her English voice actor confirmed that Futaba does indeed have autism, though she doesn't go into detail over the exact nature of her condition.
8 The Broadway Mario Play
Super Mario Bros. 3 has an unusual aesthetic compared to the other games in the series, which is saying something when you're talking about a franchise set in the Mushroom Kingdom. The game starts with a curtain rising as if a performance is about to begin. Many of the platforms in the game appear to have pins holding them to the wall as if they are just pieces of scenery. This had led to speculation that the whole game is just a play being put on by the cast of the game.
Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed this theory during a promo video for Super Mario Maker. He also confirmed that he is Bowser Jr.'s mother.
This doesn't explain why you can find a sunken version of one of the Airships in Super Mario World. It's possible then that Super Mario World is also a play?
7 Who Killed Mega Man?
The Mega Man games have taken place across several different generations. This means that there are different eras of Mega Man, with their own protagonists and villains.
One of the most popular fan theories surrounding the Mega Man series involves Zero. The games subtly hinted that he was responsible for killing the cast of the original Mega Man games during a period of time that had been removed from his memory. This theory also had vocal opponents, who claimed that it wasn't in Zero's nature to do such a thing.
Keiji Inafune actually confirmed that Zero was not involved in the death of the original Mega Man cast. He said that Zero isn't the sort of person who would do that.
6 Inglorious Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein 3D is often credited with creating the first-person shooter genre as we know it. iD Software was able to create the illusion of a 3D world using a technique known as "2.5D" which mimicked depth and field by quickly drawing the level as the player moved.
The protagonist of the Wolfenstein games is William J. Blazkowicz, whose was also the grandfather of the protagonist of Commander Keen. The recent revival of the Wolfenstein series has revived an old question concerning Blazkowicz - is he Jewish?
John Carmack has confirmed that B. J. Blazkowicz is half-Jewish on his mother's side. The latest Wolfenstein game actually goes into William's backstory and makes it canon within the story.
5 Symmetra Is On The Scale
Symmetra is one of the most dangerous Overwatch characters in the hands of a skilled player. Her ability to litter the field with traps and to create portals that allow her to teammates to traverse the map can be devastating in the right hands. She might be tied with Hanzo for being one of the most hated characters for this reason, due to how frustrating her abilities can be to deal with it.
A digital comic that focused on Symmetra called A Better World was released in 2016. Her dialogue suggested that she may be autistic in some capacity. A fan wrote to Jeffrey Kaplan (the Game Director of Overwatch) and asked if Symmetra was autistic. Kaplan responded and confirmed that she was, as it was his intent to show the world how awesome someone with autism could be.
4 The Baby Isn't Real
Outlast 2 has a bizarre story that constantly makes you second guess what you are seeing. This wasn't helped by the fact that the game had to endure some censorship late in its development, which means that the whole story wasn't revealed until people managed to datamine some of the cut audio sequences that had to be removed due to their disturbing content.
The developers of Outlast 2 have at least confirmed that the popular "Baby Isn't Real" theory is true. This relates to the scene where you deliver Lynn's baby and she says "There's nothing there." Lynn's pregnancy was totally psychosomatic and is just another symptom of the Morphogenic Engine's effects. There are documents spread throughout the Outlast games which also support this theory.
3 JC Denton, Superstar
The design of JC Denton in Deus Ex has some unusual aspects that are tied to the fact that you were once going to be able to choose his gender. The ability to play as either a man or woman would eventually be implemented in the game's sequel. This is why his name is JC, as it is meant to be a gender-neutral name.
A lot of Deus Ex fans assume that the choice of the JC initials is meant to mirror the name Jesus Christ, as Denton can be the savior of mankind. Warren Spector actually confirmed this theory, but it's not for the reason that you might think.
According to Spector: the name of JC Denton comes from his friend Bradley Denton. Bradley was so obnoxiously helpful that people would always say "Jesus Christ, Denton". Spector used this name as the inspiration for the protagonist of Deus Ex.
2 Dalton's Revenge
Chrono Cross is an excellent game but a horrible sequel. This is because it went out of its way to kill or torture the beloved cast of the previous game.
It is revealed in Chrono Cross that the Kingdom of Guardia was destroyed, with both Crono and Marle slain during the fighting. The fans had speculated for years that the person responsible for the uprising against Guardia was Dalton from the Kingdom of Zeal, as he was one of the few villains in the game whose fate wasn't accounted for.
The updated port of Chrono Trigger that appeared on the Nintendo DS finally confirmed the truth: Dalton shows up and promises to raise an army in Porre and use it to invade Guardia. This confirms his involvement in the war that claimed Crono and Marle's lives.
1 Made Of Sapphires, Maybe?
In Final Fantasy VII, the Lifestream releases five powerful monsters to stop Sephiroth. Three of them go berserk and start attacking cities. The Diamond Weapon is defeated by the party before it is killed by the Sister Ray and the Ultima Weapon is an optional boss that flies around the world. Emerald and Ruby Weapon just linger on the world map and won't bother anyone unless they are foolish enough to approach them.
The fifth Weapon was also destroyed by the Sister Ray. You never actually fight this creature within the game, so its name is never revealed. This is an aquatic creature with bright blue skin, which prompted many fans to name it the Sapphire Weapon, in keeping with the naming theme of the other Weapons.
The name of the creature was revealed to be Sapphire Weapon in official works relating to Final Fantasy VII. No one is sure whether the people at Square adopted the use of the name because it was already widely used or whether Sapphire Weapon was its real name all along.