Archive of Our Own, also known as AO3, is labeled on its home page as “A non-commercial, non-profit, non-profit, fan-created archive for transformative fan work, such as fanfiction, fanart, videos of fans and podfic.” These qualities make AO3 one of the most popular websites for publishing fan works, with a focus on fanfiction.
The number of works a fandom has on AO3 can say a lot about the popularity of their source material and how it inspires creativity in their fans. Some incredibly successful video games haven’t inspired fans the way smaller franchises have spawned stories. Sometimes this is because a game isn’t built on a strong narrative, although demographics sometimes play a role. Since AO3 numbers are always changing, it’s worth noting that all numbers below were recorded on 08/26/2022.
10 Mass Effect makes its mark
The AO3 label for the mass effect The series as a whole has 29,013 fanworks published under its umbrella. the mass effect trilogy has 24,467 of them, with Mass Effect: Andromeda making up the other 4,422.
Given mass effectThe commitment to immersing players in its story, allowing them to not only customize their protagonist, but also make the decisions that define their world, makes sense that fans would want to continue or deepen the stories they created in the game world. The franchise’s popularity as a narrative game translates into popularity with fanfiction writers.
9 Persona 5 is easily the most popular of its franchise
the Person The series has 33,170 works under its Archive of Our Own label. However, the vast majority of these are assigned to a particular game in the series. person 5 it accounts for 23,781 of the franchise’s published pieces, outnumbering many other game series on its own.
person 5, Released in 2016, it is well known among gamers for its complex psychological narratives, its focus on everyday activities as a core aspect of the game, and its beloved jazz-based soundtrack. It is currently the most recent entry on the home page. Person series, but its success makes sequels seem likely.
8 Shin Megami Tensei directly replaces its spin-off series
The next most popular fandom in the AO3 video game category is the Shin Megami Tensei series, with 35,301 published works. This is a suitable position for him, since the 1994 game Shin Megami Tensei Si… helped inspire the Person Serie.
Shin Megami Tensei it has spanned many consoles and formats since its inception in 1987, including mobile gaming. It also made an attempt to enter the realm of massively multiplayer online role-playing games in 2007. Shin Megami TenseiThe intricate lore and intriguing concepts make it ideal for fanfiction.
7 Overwatch has more than meets the eye
Despite being a multiplayer first person shooter, Supervision it has a lot more lore associated with it than players would first guess. Each hero in the game’s roster has a dedicated backstory intertwined with the history and mission of the Overwatch organization.
In the Archive of Our Own, there are 37,087 works published under SupervisionThe fandom tag of . Some of the more common character interactions explored within Supervision fics are the relationships between Cole Cassidy and Hanzo Shimada, with 6,679 published works, and Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison with 5,430 published pieces. The key here seems to be the game’s focus on characters and personalities over weapons.
6 Undertale spawned plenty of alternate universes
under the tale took the gaming world by storm when it launched in 2015. This indie hit not only found immense popularity among gamers, but fanfiction writers as well. under the tale he currently has 46,988 published fictions in the Archive of Our Own. A significant amount of these are what fanfiction writers and readers call AUs, or alternate universes.
These AU fics feature versions of under the taleThe world of with specific and delineated differences, such as the personalities of the characters or the basic themes. The most popular AUs have their own names, with the most popular being Underfell, Underswap, and a combination of the two known as Swapfell.
5 Fire Emblem leans heavily on three houses
The general label for fire emblem The series has 67,182 fan works in the Archive of Our Own. The vast majority of these works can be attributed to Fire Emblem: Three Houseswhich alone has 39,901 stories.
fire emblem is another series whose appeal to fanfiction authors makes intuitive sense. It has multiple routes and timelines based on the characters that the player chooses to befriend and romance during their matches. Fanfiction can then continue the stories and relationships of these characters, or even fill in the gaps that the games don’t show.
4 Dragon Age splits a bit more evenly
the dragon age games have a total of 70,458 pieces published in AO3. However, unlike some of the other more popular series, the works in this franchise are divided more evenly between individual games.
Dragon Age: Inquisition has the most individual titles listed in AO3, with 41,487 works, while Dragon Age II lists 17,723 and Dragon Age: Origins contributes 13,974. Like another game with branching paths, character romances, and player choice mechanics, dragon ageThe multiple possible timelines inspire a wide spectrum of fanfiction for players to enjoy.
3 Genshin Impact made an impressive entrance
Despite its relatively recent launch in 2020, Genshin Impact has a massive presence on Archive of Our Own. In a comparatively short period of time, this action RPG has amassed 87,921 published fanworks.
Genshin ImpactThe deeply woven and intricate story and extensive roster of characters make it an ideal subject for fanfiction writers to explore, which they have done with unbridled enthusiasm. The relationships between characters are important in the fan works of this game. The most popular pairing is Tartaglia and Zhongli, with 9,867 works.
two Final Fantasy is an unstoppable force
the Final Fantasy The franchise not only includes vast sagas, but has also amassed massive popularity throughout its run. These facts, combined with the epic stories of the series, make it an absolute and undeniable presence in the spaces of video game fans.
In Archive of Our Own, the Final Fantasy The series tag includes 90,298 fanworks. Final Fantasy XIVand the original 1997 version of final fantasy VIIthey boast the largest number of individual games, with 13,435 and 25,496 works under their specific labels, respectively. This is partly due to the longevity of the series, as fans have likely been writing FF fanfic since the series’ inception in 1987.
1 Minecraft can be approached from many angles
For such a simple game with a relatively unstructured narrative, Minecraft makes the biggest mark of any game in AO3. This blocky crafting and survival game has 96,486 jobs posted to the Archive of Our Own.
The main reason for MinecraftThe popularity of AO3 is Minecraft‘s insistence on player creativity. The fan works filed under the game tag span everything from stories about the lore of the game world to works about role-playing game servers and the streamer characters that populate them, each of which has its own fan base. dedicated fans.
