KickStarter Most satisfying naming pattern for a series?

[Skinwalker]

If I were the creative designer in a planned series of video games (or at least a first entry with high hopes of at least one sequel), I would take the following approach: one-word title for the entire series, and a regular numeral indicating the entry number. Including the first one. E.g.:

The "Skinwalker" series:

Skinwalker 1 (2023)
Skinwalker 2 (2025)
Skinwalker 3 (2028)
....etc...


Some might say it's fabulously optimistic to title the first game as "1", but I believe it's exactly the kind of novelty move that would get normies' attention.

The other satisfying naming pattern is a series of phrases that all include the series title. E.g.

Rise of the Skinwalker (2023)
Cult of the Skinwalker (2025)
Death of the Skinwalker (2028)
Planet of the Skinwalkers (2030)


The least satisfying naming pattern, IMO, is a series that starts with numbered entries but later devolves into colon subtitle because execs are afraid that normies will see a high number and feel locked out of the series (why don't Japanese execs ever worry about this?). Special mention to numerous entries which share the same number, somehow (I think AssCreed commits all of these crimes).

Skinwalker (2023)
Skinwalker 2 (2025)
Skinwalker 3 (2028)
Skinwalker 3: Rise of the Revelations (2029)
Skinwalker 3: Doomspire Watchers (2030)
Skinwalker: Attack of the Colons: Episode 1 (20??)
etc etc etc

How would you name the sequels of your video game series? Would you give all the entries completely different names, just to make sure the consoomer is never certain about the order in which to play them?

 

[__scribbles__]

Ultima
Ultima II: Revenge of the Enchantress
Ultima III: Exodus
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny
Ultima VI: The False Prophet
Ultima VII: The Black Gate
Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle
Ultima VIII: Pagan
Ultima IX: Ascension

Immediately communicates series and order in that series, with a flavourful subtitle to boot.

Planet of the Skinwalkers (2030)

Also known as California!

 

[Skinwalker]

Ultima VII: The Black Gate
Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle

 

[ds]

Would you give all the entries completely different names, just to make sure the consoomer is never certain about the order in which to play them?

You didn't provide an example list for this. Curious.

Worse yet however are sequels that re-use the name of the original game without any number or subtitle.

 

[Dreed]

Star Wars: Dark Forces IV: Jedi Knight III: Jedi Outcast II: Jedi Academy

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X etc

Is better than

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

ROMAN KEWL while others drool.

Well…

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J

​

1. Alpha	2. Beta	3. Gamma	4. Delta	5. Epsilon	6. Zeta
7. Eta	8. Theta	9. Iota	10. Kappa	11. Lambda	12. Mu
13. Nu	14. Xi	15. Omicron	16. Pi	17. Rho	18. Sigma
19. Tau	20. Upsilon	21. Phi	22. Chi	23. Psi	24. Omega

Though, military might be cooler

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

Or maybe just 101 it.
101, 201, 301, 401, 501, etc….

Maybe use the periodic table of elements to id them: use the symbol, name of element or… OMG THE ATOMIC MASS!!! FUCK YEAH!!

The Elements, sorted by Atomic Number​

​

Atomic Number​	Symbol​	Name​	Atomic Mass (amu, g/mol)​
1​	H​	Hydrogen	1.00797
2​	He​	Helium	4.00260
3​	Li​	Lithium	6.941
4​	Be​	Beryllium	9.01218
5​	B​	Boron	10.81
6​	C​	Carbon	12.011
7​	N​	Nitrogen	14.0067
8​	O​	Oxygen	15.9994
9​	F​	Fluorine	18.998403
10​	Ne​	Neon	20.179
11​	Na​	Sodium	22.98977
12​	Mg​	Magnesium	24.305
13​	Al​	Aluminum	26.98154
14​	Si​	Silicon	28.0855
15​	P​	Phosphorus	30.97376
16​	S​	Sulfur	32.06
17​	Cl​	Chlorine	35.453
18​	Ar​	Argon	39.948
19​	K​	Potassium	39.0983
20​	Ca​	Calcium	40.08
21​	Sc​	Scandium	44.9559
22​	Ti​	Titanium	47.90
23​	V​	Vanadium	50.9415
24​	Cr​	Chromium	51.996
25​	Mn​	Manganese	54.9380
26​	Fe​	Iron	55.847
27​	Co​	Cobalt	58.9332
28​	Ni​	Nickel	58.70
29​	Cu​	Copper	63.546
30​	Zn​	Zinc	65.38
31​	Ga​	Gallium	69.72
32​	Ge​	Germanium	72.59
33​	As​	Arsenic	74.9216
34​	Se​	Selenium	78.96
35​	Br​	Bromine	79.904
36​	Kr​	Krypton	83.80
37​	Rb​	Rubidium	85.4678
38​	Sr​	Strontium	87.62
39​	Y​	Yttrium	88.9059
40​	Zr​	Zirconium	91.22
41​	Nb​	Niobium	92.9064
42​	Mo​	Molybdenum	95.94
43​	Tc​	Technetium	(98)
44​	Ru​	Ruthenium	101.07
45​	Rh​	Rhodium	102.9055
46​	Pd​	Palladium	106.4
47​	Ag​	Silver	107.868
48​	Cd​	Cadmium	112.41
49​	In​	Indium	114.82
50​	Sn​	Tin	118.69
51​	Sb​	Antimony	121.75
52​	Te​	Tellurium	127.60
53​	I​	Iodine	126.9045
54​	Xe​	Xenon	131.30
55​	Cs​	Cesium	132.9054
56​	Ba​	Barium	137.33
57​	La​	Lanthanum	138.9055
58​	Ce​	Cerium	140.12
59​	Pr​	Praseodymium	140.9077
60​	Nd​	Neodymium	144.24
61​	Pm​	Promethium	(145)
62​	Sm​	Samarium	150.4
63​	Eu​	Europium	151.96
64​	Gd​	Gadolinium	157.25
65​	Tb​	Terbium	158.9254
66​	Dy​	Dysprosium	162.50
67​	Ho​	Holmium	164.9304
68​	Er​	Erbium	167.26
69​	Tm​	Thulium	168.9342
70​	Yb​	Ytterbium	173.04
71​	Lu​	Lutetium	174.967
72​	Hf​	Hafnium	178.49
73​	Ta​	Tantalum	180.9479
74​	W​	Tungsten	183.85
75​	Re​	Rhenium	186.207
76​	Os​	Osmium	190.2
77​	Ir​	Iridium	192.22
78​	Pt​	Platinum	195.09
79​	Au​	Gold	196.9665
80​	Hg​	Mercury	200.59
81​	Tl​	Thallium	204.37
82​	Pb​	Lead	207.2
83​	Bi​	Bismuth	208.9804
84​	Po​	Polonium	(209)
85​	At​	Astatine	(210)
86​	Rn​	Radon	(222)
87​	Fr​	Francium	(223)
88​	Ra​	Radium	226.0254
89​	Ac​	Actinium	227.0278
90​	Th​	Thorium	232.0381
91​	Pa​	Protactinium	231.0359
92​	U​	Uranium	238.029
93​	Np​	Neptunium	237.0482
94​	Pu​	Plutonium	(242)
95​	Am​	Americium	(243)
96​	Cm​	Curium	(247)
97​	Bk​	Berkelium	(247)
98​	Cf​	Californium	(251)
99​	Es​	Einsteinium	(252)
100​	Fm​	Fermium	(257)
101​	Md​	Mendelevium	(258)
102​	No​	Nobelium	(250)
103​	Lr​	Lawrencium	(260)
104​	Rf​	Rutherfordium	(261)
105​	Db​	Dubnium	(262)
106​	Sg​	Seaborgium	(263)
107​	Bh​	Bohrium	(262)
108​	Hs​	Hassium	(255)
109​	Mt​	Meitnerium	(256)
110​	Ds​	Darmstadtium	(269)
111​	Rg​	Roentgenium	(272)
112​	Uub​	Ununbiium	(277)
113​	—​	——	———
114​	Uuq​	Ununquadium

​

How about numbering after the order of US presidents?

​

YEAR	PRESIDENT	FIRST LADY	VICE PRESIDENT
1789-1797	George Washington	Martha Washington	John Adams
1797-1801	John Adams	Abigail Adams	Thomas Jefferson
1801-1805	Thomas Jefferson	[Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson died before Jefferson assumed office; no image of her in P&P collections]	Aaron Burr
1805-1809	Thomas Jefferson	see above	George Clinton
1809-1812	James Madison	Dolley Madison	George Clinton
1812-1813	James Madison	Dolley Madison	office vacant
1813-1814	James Madison	Dolley Madison	Elbridge Gerry
1814-1817	James Madison	Dolley Madison	office vacant
1817-1825	James Monroe	Elizabeth Kortright Monroe (no image)	Daniel D. Tompkins
1825-1829	John Quincy Adams	Louisa Catherine Adams	John C. Calhoun
1829-1832	Andrew Jackson	Rachel Jackson [Rachel Donelson Jackson died before Jackson assumed office and did not serve as first lady]	John C. Calhoun
1833-1837	Andrew Jackson	Rachel Jackson [Rachel Donelson Jackson died before Jackson assumed office and did not serve as first lady]	Martin Van Buren
1837-1841	Martin Van Buren	Hannah Hoes Van Buren	Richard M. Johnson
1841	William Henry Harrison	Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison	John Tyler
1841-1845	John Tyler	Letitia Christian Tyler and Julia Gardiner Tyler (no images)	office vacant
1845-1849	James K. Polk	Sarah Childress Polk	George M. Dallas
1849-1850	Zachary Taylor	Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor (no image)	Millard Fillmore
1850-1853	Millard Fillmore	Abigail Powers Fillmore	office vacant
1853	Franklin Pierce	Jane M. Pierce	William R. King
1853-1857	Franklin Pierce	Jane M. Pierce	office vacant
1857-1861	James Buchanan	(never married)	John C. Breckinridge
1861-1865	Abraham Lincoln	Mary Todd Lincoln	Hannibal Hamlin
1865	Abraham Lincoln	Mary Todd Lincoln	Andrew Johnson
1865-1869	Andrew Johnson	Eliza McCardle Johnson	office vacant
1869-1873	Ulysses S. Grant	Julia Dent Grant	Schuyler Colfax
1873-1875	Ulysses S. Grant	Julia Dent Grant	Henry Wilson
1875-1877	Ulysses S. Grant	Julia Dent Grant	office vacant
1877-1881	Rutherford Birchard Hayes	Lucy Webb Hayes	William A. Wheeler
1881	James A. Garfield	Lucretia Rudolph Garfield	Chester A. Arthur
1881-1885	Chester A. Arthur	Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur	office vacant
1885	Grover Cleveland	Frances Folsom Cleveland	Thomas A. Hendricks
1885-1889	Grover Cleveland	Frances Folsom Cleveland	office vacant
1889-1893	Benjamin Harrison	Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison Mary Lord Harrison [Harrison's second wife, but never a first lady]	Levi P. Morton
1893-1897	Grover Cleveland	Frances Folsom Cleveland	Adlai E. Stevenson
1897-1899	William McKinley	Ida Saxton McKinley	Garret A. Hobart
1899-1901	William McKinley	Ida Saxton McKinley	office vacant
1901	William McKinley	Ida Saxton McKinley	Theodore Roosevelt
1901-1905	Theodore Roosevelt	Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt	office vacant
1905-1909	Theodore Roosevelt	Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt	Charles W. Fairbanks
1909-1912	William H. Taft	Helen Herron Taft	James S. Sherman
1912-1913	William H. Taft	Helen Herron Taft	office vacant
1913-1921	Woodrow Wilson	Ellen Axson Wilson and Edith Bolling Galt Wilson	Thomas R. Marshall
1921-1923	Warren G. Harding	Florence Kling Harding	Calvin Coolidge
1923-1925	Calvin Coolidge	Grace Goodhue Coolidge	office vacant
1925-1929	Calvin Coolidge	Grace Goodhue Coolidge	Charles G. Dawes
1929-1933	Herbert Hoover	Lou Henry Hoover	Charles Curtis
1933-1941	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Eleanor Roosevelt	John N. Garner
1941-1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Eleanor Roosevelt	Henry A. Wallace
1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Eleanor Roosevelt	Harry S. Truman
1945-1949	Harry S. Truman	Bess Wallace Truman	office vacant
1949-1953	Harry S. Truman	Bess Wallace Truman	Barkley, Alben W.
1953-1961	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Mamie Doud Eisenhower	Richard M. Nixon
1961-1963	John F. Kennedy	Jacqueline Kennedy	Lyndon B. Johnson
1963-1965	Lyndon B. Johnson	Lady Bird Johnson	office vacant
1965-1969	Lyndon B. Johnson	Lady Bird Johnson	Hubert H. Humphrey
1969-1973	Richard M. Nixon	Pat Nixon	Spiro T. Agnew
1973-1974	Richard M. Nixon	Pat Nixon	Gerald R. Ford
1974-1977	Gerald R. Ford	Betty Ford	Nelson Rockefeller
1977-1981	Jimmy Carter	Rosalynn Carter	Walter F. Mondale
1981-1989	Ronald Reagan	Nancy Reagan	George Bush
1989-1993	George Bush	Barbara Bush	Dan Quayle
1993-2001	Bill Clinton	Hillary Rodham Clinton	Albert Gore
2001-2009	George W. Bush	Laura Bush	Richard Cheney
2009-2017	Barack Obama	Michelle Obama	Joseph R. Biden
2017-2021	Donald J. Trump	Melania Trump	Mike Pence
2021-	Joseph R. Biden	Jill Biden	Kamala Harris

Order States we’re established
Top foods of a certain year
Order stars were discovered
Damn near endless how you could order-title your game.

Ultima Trump
Wizardry Biden

 

[Momock]

Naming your first game "1" off the bat leads to think this is an episodic series, an nobody will buy it until the series is complete.

 

[deuxhero]

I think the most satisfying way is to work the numbering into the subtitle, though it risks getting corney
Skinwalker
Skinwalker: Double Trouble
Skinwalker: Trident of Doom
Skinwalker: Hell on Four Wheels
Skinwalker: Pentagon of Nightmares
Skinwalker: Carbon

 

[Zlaja]

Skinwalker
Skinwalker: Rebirth
Skinwalker: Mountain Jew
Skinwalker: Definitely Not Liberal
Skinwalker: From Georgia With Love

 

[Nutmeg]

Star Wars: Dark Forces IV: Jedi Knight III: Jedi Outcast II: Jedi Academy

Dragon Slayer (6 omitted): The Legend of Heroes (4 omitted): Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter.

 

[Luka-boy]

-Tales of Game's Presents Chef Boyardee's Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa
-The Magical Realms of Tír na nÓg: Escape from Necron 7 – Revenge of Cuchulainn: The Official Game of the Movie – Chapter 2 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa

 

[ADL]

Not video games but
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
War of the Planet of the Apes

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Game
Game 2
Game 3
Game: Alternative
Game 4
Game Spinoff
Game MMO

 

[lukaszek]

14. Xi

and not being able to enter china? great job

 

[Neuromancer]

Not video games but
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
War of the Planet of the Apes

There is only Planet of the Apes (1968).
The rest is forgetable.

 

[Maxie]

Atelier games are called after the cute anime girl protagonists they have

 

[Nelka]

Game titles with no numerical clues as to which game came first, so newfags have to ask on Reddit how to play this series right

 

[lukaszek]

go after meals
breakfast
brunch
elevenses
lunch
tea
supper
dinner

pick foreign language to be cooler. Idea stolen from hannibal tv series

 

[Modron]

Game titles with no numerical clues as to which game came first, so newfags have to ask on Reddit how to play this series right

At least Gilbert started making them alphabetical with the third game and beyond:

1. The Blackwell Legacy
2. Blackwell Unbound
3. The Blackwell Convergence
4. The Blackwell Deception
5. The Blackwell Epiphany

No one ever has to ask what order to play things in on reddit lest they are incapable of looking up release dates.

 

[911 Jumper]

[Franchise Name] and [Number]
Mass Effect 2
Grand Theft Auto IV

I like the simplicity.

I'm not overly keen on subtitles. It's just more syllables added to the title. It can also give away something significant about the game you're about to play, which can spoil the sense of mystery.

 

[Skinwalker]

Harry Potter 6: Snape Kills Dumbledore

 

[Gahbreeil]

The second variant presented by the OP. Dune. How would Dune I, Dune II, et cetera, look? Poorly.

And so, there is no reason for numerals if each installment in the series is named after it's own plot.

 

[Skinwalker]

The second variant presented by the OP. Dune. How would Dune I, Dune II, et cetera, look? Poorly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_II

Dune II is a legendary video game that single-handed created the RTS genre. Which is now long-dead, but still.

 

[Gahbreeil]

 

[octavius]

I don't know of most satisfying, but the most annoying, is when the first game has an additional title, like Thief: The Dark Project, and then years later some scumbags release something called Thief. So the game Thief now refers to the modern game that "wouldn't be worth your money even if it shipped with a brewery and a brothel".

So if you're a dev and know that your first game in a series will be a hit, keep the name simple, and only add fancy titles for later sequels.