Boss Moves: If I were the head of FromSoftware (and CD Projekt Red)

If I were the head of Naughty Dog

Don't get me wrong - I love The Last of Us. But if I were in charge at Naughty Dog, I would have put the series to rest for a while (perhaps continuing as a side project with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet) and instead returning to something that is almost the definition of an adventure: the Uncharted series. It would no longer focus on Nathan Drake, but would instead be based on a new glorious gang (maybe even his daughter) who travelled the world to explore ruins and find hidden treasures. Simply a new generation of treasure hunters, a new vibrant and delightful group of characters with charm, humour, and just the right amount of opportunity for chaos. There would be beautiful environments, clever puzzles, physically impossible climbing (it is Uncharted after all) and several strategic choices in the encounter with enemies. Do you want to sneak, do you want to attack, or simply avoid - the choice would have been yours. An adventure that would have been fun, emotional, and made both Nathan Drake and Indiana Jones proud.

If I were the head of CD Projekt Red

I like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 very much, although the latter needed to be vindicated after its disastrous launch before I could recognise it. But if it had been up to me, I would have started a whole new project, independent of said titles. The basis would have been similar: An epic third-person role-playing game where you build your character from the ground up with different backgrounds, abilities, and skills. The choices you make have an enormous impact on your environment, but also on your relationships with other characters, relationships that can be built up, but just as easily torn down, all with characters we can love, but also hate. All this, but in the same world as The Lord of The Rings. It would be epic, occasionally beautiful, and most of all - a tribute to Tolkien's brilliant work. Imagine an open world in Middle-earth, where you're given free rein to explore and establish your character. Not just another rehash of what we already know, but a new story with thoughtful side-quests, new characters and new environments to be enchanted by. Just start taking notes and getting to work, CD Projekt Red.

If I were the head of FromSoftware

Elden Ring is all well and good, but with me at the helm, we'd have gone back a few years and given many of the players what they wanted most - Bloodborne 2. In my alternate universe, we'd left the foggy alleys of Yharnam behind to explore the world beyond. What lies beyond the city walls? What does the rest of this rotten reality look like? Are all cities like Yharnam? What has happened to the world beyond the chaos? All this would have been explored and answered in our sequel. The Victorian/Gothic theme would have been kept as the heart and soul of the game's aesthetic, but we'd have opened it up to new kinds of horrors, new lore to delve into, and of course, new bosses that are out to crush your psyche. It wouldn't have been PlayStation exclusive this time either, but available on PC and other consoles from day one, with full crossplay co-op. And since I'm getting into the role of the boss anyway, the difficulty level would have been boosted in co-op mode, so you really get pushed when fighting together. Epic, challenging, and perfect.

If I were the head of Konami

We had focused on two things: First, we had immediately remade both Silent Hill 1 and 3 together with Bloober Team. Better graphics, improved sound design, but the same care for the source material as in the Silent Hill 2 Remake. Then we would have dug up P.T. and lured Hideo Kojima back with promises of free rein in return for him continuing to work on Silent Hills with Guillermo del Toro. They had been given total creative freedom over the project. Silent Hills would be creepy, raw, deep, and above all, a high-level psychological horror. Horror that doesn't rely solely on boring jump scares, but challenges the definition of what makes something scary, that's what we would have made. Silent Hill would once again become a name associated with hair-raising horror and we would have made it hard to switch off the lights at night.

If I were the head of Larian Studios

Few games leave such an impression as Baldur's Gate III. It's a role-playing game that doesn't just set the standard - it breathes new life into the genre and really shows where the ceiling should be. The characters, the storytelling, the freedom of choice, it's hard to get more perfect than that. So, when Larian announced that it was going to be a one-off project, many, including myself, were incredibly disappointed. But given the chance to dream away to a scenario where I have a say, it would have been a given that the studio was already in full swing with the development of Baldur's Gate 4. All other plans had been put on hold. There would have been total dedication to the next chapter of Faerûn, focusing on delivering an adventure that lives up to its predecessor. New areas to explore, new characters to love and fear, and a new story to captivate. If only that were true...