I have several answers to this question. Most of them are sandbox FPS RPGs based on already-licensed properties, but hey, they are still my answers. I know next to nothing about the ins-and-outs of which up-and-coming development team has the hottest stars or brightest rookies, so I would start witha selection of whichever gang of maniacs has already heard of the properties before I started looking for developers.
1. Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" novels; you might say that I want a "Shadowrun" game, but done RIGHT, fraggit!
2. Niven & Barnes' "Dream Park" novels. I think that the electronic game community might be ready for a multi-leveled game; players play Gamers wandering around a gigantic theme park, and the Gamers have the option of playing Characters in a series of Games. Various events (usually but not exculsively murders) in the theme park can only be solved by playing in-game Games.
3. Steven Chow's "Shaolin Soccer", but where EVERY martial art gets a turn on the pitch. Ninjutsu soccer vs. capoeira soccer! Pancratium soccer vs. savate soccer! Krav maga soccer vs. pentjak silat soccer! And so on. I think it would literally and figuratively beat the hell out of Madden Football for the next ten years, especially since subsequent entries in the franchise could add whole new martial art schools.
4. GTA, but "Thief"-style. Meaning:
4A. Your character will never acquire high explosives, or any weapon more dangerous than a Walther PPK
4B. Your character is penalized for any and all deaths s/he causes. To be fair, you can still unlock "achievements" if you exceed certain benchmark kill numbers, or if you kill certain targets; these usually include increasing numbers of NPCs with stats equal to yours, alongside decreasing numbers of NPC allies as you become "too hot for their comfort".
4C. All of the missions emphasize stealth, rather than violence
4D. Your character must conduct research into the weaknesses of any and all targets past the first "stage" of the game in order to have ANY chance of success
4E. ALL security systems include video surveillance, so your character must conduct each missions in disguise; figuring out which options are most appropriate becomes a sub-quest.