Boss Moves: If I were the head of Rare (and Konami) –

If I were the head of Bungie

No, reviving Marathon was not a good idea, and before we have another Concord fiasco ahead of us, as the new boss, I choose to pull the plug on the project here and now. Instead, let’s focus on what once made Bungie the world leader in the FPS genre. Sure, we can’t legally produce a new Halo, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fish in the same seas we helped create in the past. Because where 343 Industries (now Halo Studios ) and Microsoft stumbled in the case of Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite, we as Bungie can fill the void with a new multiplayer game that embraces the best of Halo 1-3. In other words, I don’t want a story mode or a battle pass that steals attention from playability, but I do want the title to be Free to Play, where only a few cosmetic items may cost money. The focus then is on classic death matches without loadouts or the ability to unlock more weapons. Everyone should have the same conditions from the start, with agility and skill being the key to success, while a scoop of unpredictability is added with special weapons that “spawn” in selected locations over the course of the matches. We then keep the title alive by adding about three new maps every quarter, and when I hear someone mention the word “Seasons” or “Events,” they have five minutes to pack up their gear before they get a boot in the ass.

If I were the head of Konami

One word: Castlevania. Because how damn hard should that be? We’re on one of the best game series in history and we haven’t launched a new adventure in the series in over a decade. Sure, the anniversary collections were a great idea and the Netflix series is a hit, but now it’s time for new games. I want to have two projects in production simultaneously, the first being a classic adventure with pretty pixels and Metroidvania elements galore. Think easily of a spiritual continuation of Symphony of the Night. After that, I want a new Lords of Shadow, but dark gothic design, beautiful graphics and a combat system that makes Kratos and the God of War -series blush with envy. Make it happen!

If I were head of FromSoftware

Although Elden Ring: Nightreign and The Duskbloods look promising, we need to set the record straight on Bloodborne. We’re going to launch a two-stage rocket to get the writing done, and I don’t care what it takes to get Sony (who owns the rights) on board. First, we’ll do a heavily patched remaster of the original, with better graphics and higher frame rate being priority one, two and three, and of course the expansion The Old Hunters will be included at no extra cost. The price should also be low, because we almost want to give it away to build hype for what’s to come. Because yes, Bloodborne 2 must become a reality, and as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, we can get Sony to sell tens of millions of consoles before we start talking about possible DLC plans.

If I were head of Rare

I don’t know what Everwild is, and I don’t really care. No more dawdling and ignoring what our fans want. I just talked to Phil Spencer and he gave the green light for a new Banjo-Kazooie. I want a platform game that refines the best of the first two titles in the sequel series, and before you ask if we’re going to take anything from Nuts & Bolts, the answer is no. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, nor do we need to be as creative as Nintendo is with Mario or Sony is Astro Bot. I don’t want Game of the Year awards, I just want a new Banjo that’s comfortably at 85 on Metacritic. Just get it done. Ideally, it would be done yesterday.

If I were the head of Respawn Entertainment

Star Wars and Apex Legends aside, we will have to put all that on hold for a while and return to the Titanfall -series. It’s finally time for Titanfall 3, and since we haven’t seen a new game in the series in almost a decade, the technological advances that have taken place since then will help us make a new adventure modern and fresh. Think bigger arenas, more Titans on the battlefield, while spicing it all up with a spirited campaign that combines it between bombastic action and futuristic horror themes. Because yes, I want Titanfall 3 to be dark and desolate, and above all, I want it to be released now. So let’s get to work.