The creation of original intellectual property is often marred by the pursuit of innovation at the expense of customer satisfaction. Classic player fantasies including World War II, science fiction, fantasy and present day adventures are often the first causalities of leading edge developers trying to breathe innovation back into our medium. How can we innovate? Does it have to be through new franchise intellectual property creation or can it be through innovations in gameplay first and theme second? Using the latest MEDAL OF HONOR, COMMAND & CONQUER, BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH and EALAs collaboration with Steven Spielberg, this presentation explores how to take classic fantasies and game genres and inject new life while being mindful of the cost of creation and the benefits to the customer and the creating studio. The presenter will share tools and practical examples of how these ideas can be integrated with the creative process.