>>712588092
>build a small team of peculiar nerds
>give them full creative control, aside from release date
>give them a sensible budget
>they release a feature-rich game day one
>game has at least one innovative feature not seen among its contemporaries
>game encourages community interaction
>no corporate BS to spoil the experience

It's that simple. That was more or less the winning formula during Halo's glory days. Oh, and one of those games, Halo 2, single-handedly made the Xbox turn a profit for the first time.