Christian Fonnesbech is a well‑known figure in the northern European gaming scene. After serving as head of IP development at Nordisk Film Games, he launched his own consultancy, Leverage, in Copenhagen in 2019 to help studios nurture and protect their intellectual property. Over the years he has advised on projects of all scales – from indie experiments to blockbuster franchises – although confidentiality clauses keep many of the specifics under wraps. What he can confirm is that his résumé includes work with the teams behind titles such as Dead Island, Metro, Conan Exiles, Dune Awakening, Exoborne and the Dark Pictures Anthology, even if his involvement didn’t always coincide with the final releases.
Fonnesbech believes that studios consistently stumble over one particular decision: swapping out the main character for a sequel. While a franchise’s gameplay, setting and narrative all matter, the protagonist is arguably the most valuable piece of an emerging IP.
"Gameplay is huge, the world is massive, but the character is the element you can actually own legally," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "It’s the emotional hook for players, the thing they return to time after time. Tinker with that at your own risk." His reasoning stems from the sheer difficulty of forging an emotional bond between a game and a mass audience.
"Getting an IP to resonate is a monumental challenge. Most creators think they can string together hit after hit, but the reality is that connecting with millions is almost a miracle. You’re lucky if you land one genuine hit," Fonnesbech explained.
The media loves to showcase the rare outliers – studios that churn out hit after hit – but those cases are exceptions, not the rule. "Don’t measure yourself against the likes of Landfall or Blizzard; the market doesn’t work that way," he warned. For the few developers who do manage to create a breakout title, Fonnesbech argues they should guard the IP fiercely.
"If you’ve discovered a character that clicks, you have proof that the formula works. That emotional connection is evidence, not just a flash in the pan. Tossing that character away means discarding the time players have invested in building a relationship with them." He likens the protagonist to the player’s primary conduit into the game world. "The gameplay shapes the journey, but after 500 hours with someone like Agent 47, you can’t separate the mechanics from the person.
The character becomes the feeling you associate with the experience." Beyond the screen, a recognizable hero travels into merchandise, adaptations and other media, reinforcing the case for continuity. Yet there are notable examples where developers have taken a different route. Hades 2, for instance, replaces Zagreus with his sister Melinoë.
The sequel has been well received, prompting the question: why is this a concern? "There are two layers here," Fonnesbech said. "First, art and business are distinct.
If you make an artistic decision to feature a female lead, that’s commendable, but it’s not automatically a business decision. In the short term Hades 2 succeeded, but what does the Hades IP now represent?
The original game was about a young man rebelling against his father and uncovering a troubled family legacy – a clear emotional arc about leaving home. The sequel flips the narrative to finding home. The gameplay remains brilliant, yet the core emotional promise of the brand has shifted. Artistically it’s a win; commercially it’s ambiguous." Hades 2 isn’t alone.
Upcoming titles such as Control Resonant, God of War Laufey and The Witcher 4 all plan to replace their protagonists. "The magnitude of the mistake varies," Fonnesbech noted.
In the first Control, Jesse Faden’s quest to find her brother gave the game a strong emotional spine. The sequel hands the reins to her brother Dylan, potentially eroding the value of the original character.
"Millions of hours were spent with Jesse; she’s an IP asset. Swapping her out is akin to making a Tomb Raider sequel about Lara’s brother – it would feel off‑kilter." He acknowledges the creative impulse to experiment, but stresses the franchise perspective. "Would you enjoy a James Bond movie that didn’t feature Bond?" he asked.
The same logic applies to God of War Laufey. The 2018 reboot revitalised the series by keeping Kratos while introducing his son, creating fresh drama without abandoning the iconic figure. Replacing Kratos entirely, even with a relative, risks alienating the audience that bought the series for him. "We do need more women in games, but we shouldn’t discard the tentpole character that anchors a franchise," he added.
Familiarity, according to Fonnesbech, reduces purchase risk. Players know what they’re getting: a certain quality, tone and emotional payoff. Changing the lead disrupts that predictability. Yet continuity does not equal stagnation.
Hollywood repeatedly reinvents Batman with new actors and tonal shifts while preserving the core hero, a pattern that games may emulate. The God of War reboot is an early example of a successful character refresh. Star Wars illustrates another angle.
Early entries focused on Luke, Leia and Darth Vader; only later did the saga expand into a broader universe. That transition only occurs after an IP reaches a massive scale – hundreds of millions of fans – where the brand can sustain stories that don’t hinge on a single protagonist. Cyberpunk 2077 attempted a similar approach early on, presenting Night City as an anthology setting rather than anchoring it to a single hero. Fonnesbech is skeptical, suggesting a recognizable central figure would strengthen the property.
Still, the Netflix series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners showed that audiences gravitate toward memorable characters, even when the game itself lacks a definitive lead. Switching protagonists can also thin the audience. "You might think you’re reaching a new demographic, but you often end up carving your original fan base into smaller slices," Fonnesbech warned.
Consistency across world‑building, character arcs, themes and gameplay is key. He cautions against genre hopping within the same IP unless the brand is massive enough to absorb the risk – Star Wars can afford a turn‑based strategy game, but a mid‑size franchise cannot expect similar returns. In summary, while artistic ambition is vital, developers should treat the main character as a strategic asset.
Preserve the emotional core that earned players’ loyalty, and any changes should be carefully weighed against the potential erosion of brand equity.