Notable Game Developers: Peter Douglas Molyneux

General information

Full name: Peter Douglas Molyneux.

Date of birth: May 5, 1959.

Place of birth: Guildford, Surrey, UK.

Gameography

Working alone:

• Entrepreneur (1984) (designer/programmer)

Bullfrog Productions:

• Fusion (1987) (designer/programmer)
• Populous (1989) (writer/producer)
• Powermonger (1990) (project director/writer)
• Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods / Two Tribes (UK) (1991)
• Syndicate (1993) (project head)
• MagicCarpet (1994) (executive producer)
• ThemePark (1994) (lead programmer/project manager)
• Hi-Octane (1995) (executive producer)
• GeneWars (1996)
• Theme Hospital (1997) (writer/producer)
• DungeonKeeper (1997) (Game Designer/Level Designer/Project Lead)

Lionhead Studios:

• Black&White (2001) (project director/writer/producer/programmer)
• Fable (2004) (Project Lead/Designer)
• TheMovies (2005) (Project Director/Designer)
• Fable: The Lost Chapters (2005) (designer)
• Black&White 2 (2005) (lead designer)
• The Movies: Stunts & Effects (2006) (designer)
• Black and White: Battle of the Gods (2006) (lead designer)
• Fable 2 (2008) (lead designer)
• Fable 3 (2010)

22 Cans:

• Curiosity – What’s Inside the Cube? (2012)
• Godus (2014)

In development:

• Cooperation
• MiloandKate

The beginning of a career

We all know about movie stars, famous singers, and performers. But when it comes to the gaming industry, many immediately think of Peter Molyneux. Famous, popular, and celebrated, he’s spoken of as a great man who brought so much to the industry. Yet, he’s also a man who has lived through both ups and downs. A man who listened to gaming trends and told them what was good and what was bad. Literally. (Note: game mechanics of Black and White).

Important: The debate over the “Russian” pronunciation of Peter’s name continues to this day. Many call it “Muligne” or “Molinye,” others “Mulene” or “Moline.” Peter himself agrees with the Russian spelling of his name only as “Molenye.”

 

Playing God

Looking at Peter’s biography, many say he was destined to become a game developer. His father owned a toy factory, and Peter always had a variety of toys at his disposal. What more could you want to be happy? But having almost everything a child of that age wants, Peter quickly grew bored with toys and began to seek other entertainment. He loved spending time outdoors. And then one day, in his yard, he noticed a large anthill. He loved watching the ants build their community.

This is interesting: Peter later admitted that this very anthill gave him the idea for the game Populous.

 

Toys played their role, and Peter decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and start making toys. But he didn’t want to work for his father, so at the age of twenty-two, he founded a small company selling floppy disks. In the early 1980s, the gaming industry was booming, and the market was flooded with low-quality products. Molyneux immediately noticed that sales of floppy disks with pre-recorded games were significantly better than those of blank floppy disks. And, more importantly at the time, significantly more profitable. At the time, Peter had a computer running Basic at home , and he didn’t consider writing a game a challenge. Having abandoned his store for a while, the future trendsetter dove headfirst into developing his project. This is how his first game, Entrepreneur , came to be . It was essentially a text-based business simulator, which turned out to be good, but, as some have noted, overly complex. The game failed to gain popularity among the general public, who were not accustomed to such games at the time. At the time, audiences loved arcade action games with tons of monsters, simple music, explosions, and action. Peter desperately wanted his game to be a success. But it wasn’t meant to be; the game was ahead of its time, and players weren’t ready for it. In his mailbox, he found two game order letters, one from his mother (and there’s a suspicion she had a hand in the second, too). This upset Peter greatly, and he decided to quit making games and returned to his “floppy” business.

In 1985, Molyneux founded a new company, Taurus Impex Limited , and began developing software for the Commodore 64 for accounting firms. Some time later, Commondore called Molyneux’s small firm to ensure that his company’s software would run properly on the new Amiga computer. Peter was surprised that such a large company would contact his firm. Nevertheless, he agreed to a meeting with Commondore representatives. As a result of the discussions, he was offered several Amiga computers to try out. At the time, Commondore was promoting its new computer on all fronts, including the business solutions market. Molyneux sensed a trap, but agreed to take the computers offered. And at the end of the meeting, before leaving, the Commondore representative said something like, “We hope your network will work on our computers.” At that moment, Peter realized there had been a mistake: his company had been mistakenly confused with Torus , which at the time was developing networking equipment. But he was eager to try out the new computers, and a couple of days later, Taurus Software received a delivery of several new Amigas.

 

Interestingly, according to Molyneux, it was at that moment that his concept of good and evil, which he would later use in the game Black & White, was born. One side wanted to keep the new computers, the other wanted to report a mix-up. But evil prevailed.

 

Having received the computers, Molyneux immediately began adapting his programs to the new system. Peter realized almost immediately what he had in his hands. He realized he had abandoned the gaming industry prematurely—the Amiga was simply made for gaming: colorful graphics, stereo sound, and excellent potential for future development. Molyneux weighed the pros and cons, left Taurus Software, and, with his own funds, founded Bullfrog , his first game studio.

This is interesting: The name Bullfrog came from a combination of the names “Taurus” (from the Greek “bull”, in English “bull”) and “frog” (from the English “frog”, since Edgar’s daughter loved frogs).

 

Bullfrog

Bullfrog Studios was founded in 1987 by Les Edgar and Peter Molyneux. The studio gained worldwide fame after releasing the game Populous in 1989. Electronic Arts, the studio’s publisher, acquired the studio in January 1995. Molyneux spent another two years as vice president and consultant at Electronic Arts, but after the publisher acquired most of the studio’s assets, he left Bullfrog permanently and soon (in 1997) founded his new company, LionheadStudios. In 2004, Electronic Arts merged Bullfrog with EAUK, after which Bullfrog was officially disbanded.List of games released by the studio: • Fusion (1988) • Populous (1989) o Populous II (1991) o Populous 3: The Beginning (1998) (without Molyneux) • Flood (1990) • Powermonger (1990) • Syndicate (1993) o SyndicateWars (1996) • MagicCarpet (1994) o MagicCarpet 2 (1995) • ThemePark (1994) • Hi-Octane (1995) • Genewars (1996) • DungeonKeeper (1997) o Dungeon Keeper: The Deeper Dungeons (1997) o DungeonKeeper 2 (1999) (without Molyneux) • ThemeHospital (1997) List of games released by the studio without Molyneux: • SimThemePark (1999) • SimCoaster (2001) • Aquarium (2001) • Quake III: Revolution (2001)

 

A crowded world

“I envision a free world with its own laws and inhabitants. I understand how to play it and how great it would be. But I can’t create a perfect game of this kind, and every project I make is another step toward creating this ideal with a self-contained game world, but I’m still very far from the ultimate goal.” Peter Molyneux

Time passed, and Molyneux became comfortable with the new Amiga. He lacked the experience to create games, but his old friend Andrew Bailey approached him and offered to port his game Druid 2 from the Commodore 64 to the Amiga. It was a great opportunity for both of them, and Peter jumped at the chance.

Naturally, during the development of Druid 2, Peter was overcome with the desire to create his own game. He immediately began thinking through several aspects. He immediately decided it would be a strategy game. But what would make it special? Turn-based gameplay wasn’t for him, and the game would be real-time. But how would he hook players? New structures, troops, an unusual progression? He faced many questions. Slowly, he came to the conclusion that the design was secondary; the main thing was the gameplay itself… And at that moment, Molyneux conceived his concept of “indirect control.” Players couldn’t directly command their minions, but they could easily influence them. This was the birth of a new concept for the genre and the main basis for the new world-famous game, Populous.

Inspired, Molyneux sets to work on the game. A number of difficulties arise along the way. One of them is publishing the game. He’s out of money, and he’s forced to start searching for a publisher… His ideas are once again ahead of their time, so no one wants to publish his new game, which will soon achieve worldwide fame. He receives rejection after rejection. There are so many that Molyneux almost loses hope… but finally hears the cherished “yes.” And not just anyone, but the gaming industry giant itself— Electronic Arts .

This strengthened Peter’s faith in success, and he continued development with renewed vigor. Bullfrog Studio’s first independent project was called Populous.

The difficulties in finding a publisher left Molyneux slightly frustrated. He thought that if not all publishers understood his ideas, perhaps not all players would either. Concerns about the new game began to creep into his mind, and, plagued by doubts, he decided to show a beta version to British journalist Bob White . After watching, they went to a nearby pub, where, after a few drinks, Peter asked White what he thought of Populous. “It’s the best game I’ve ever played,” Bob replied. Peter assumed the journalist was under the influence and was simply trying to console him, but White suggested they return to the office and play some more Populous.

It turned out White wasn’t kidding and he genuinely liked it. Many other players also rated the game highly. It sold millions of copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling games of all time.

 

Interesting fact: Populous was the first game in history to be released in the “god simulator” genre.

 

In Populous, Peter Molyneux not only succeeded in establishing his own, new concept. Like many works of art, the game also reflected its creator’s unique style. The game was captivating, engaging, and the player was a God, able to influence a completely independent world.

The success of Populous’s innovations was confirmed by the game’s numerous awards. In 1991, the game won the ” Best Military or Strategy Computer Game ” award and was named Game of the Year by VideoGames & Computer Entertainment magazine . Populous was initially developed for the Amigo, but after gaining popularity, it was ported to the PC, AtariST, and several consoles. Following this success, Peter and his studio secured funding for their future projects.

Molyneux always strived for perfection, but some of his games were good, others less so. The studio’s next game, Powermonger , fell into the latter category. The new game continued the “divine intervention” theme, but there was no time for refinement and testing. EA was pushing Bullfrog hard and wanted to replicate the success of Populous, which is precisely what hindered Powermonger. The game was good, but unpolished. Populous’s success haunted the publisher, who dreamed of releasing several sequels at once, while Molyneux was eager to come up with something new.

 

This is important: Peter said, “Working on a sequel is much harder than working on the original project. You poured everything you had into the original. You implemented every idea you could in the original game, you spent a ton of time balancing it, and now you’re being asked to do it all over again.”

 

The sequel, Populous 2: Trials of Olympian Gods , released in 1991, differed little from the original. Graphical changes, a shift to a Greek concept, minor AI tweaks, and a few new spells failed to deliver the expected success, and the second Populous followed in the footsteps of Powermonger, becoming a good game, but nothing more.

 

Game “Syndicate”

After a standoff with its publisher, Bullfrog, having gained experience, was able to surprise the world again.

In 1993, Syndicate was released . Molyneux abandoned his previous concept of indirect control for this game, instead giving players full control. Players had to create their own criminal organization, choosing a logo, color scheme, and name, and begin a struggle for power. They controlled a squad of four people who carried out robberies, kidnapped people, and carried out subversive activities. They had to fight other syndicates, who were also vying for power. The game captivated them with its attention to detail. Interacting with the environment allowed players to use absolutely any vehicle or, for example, eliminate an unwanted passerby. Additionally, the game boasted excellent graphics, a large map, and a strong role-playing component (skills and various upgrades). Molyneux participated in the game’s development from the very beginning, conceiving the basic idea and developing the concept. Bullfrog handled the rest of the work and delivered. The game turned out excellent.

 

The park of your dreams

Molyneux wasn’t actively involved in the development of Syndicate because he was working on another game. Theme Park , released in 1994, was the second attempt at creating a decent business simulator, a compensation for the failure of Entrepreneur. The graphics were deceptive. Behind the bright and colorful graphics lay a serious business simulator. On the one hand, you simply needed to place an attraction, a kiosk, and a restroom… but when you delve deeper, you discover a different side of the game, one with many hidden parameters. In addition to hiring and salaries for security guards and cleaners, which are located in a separate menu, you also need to manage food purchases and the amount of ice in Coca-Cola. One of the interesting aspects is the development of new features for the park. These could range from new attractions and various kiosks to new park design.

Peter learned from Entrepreneur’s mistake: he made multi-level gameplay the game’s main feature. If a player didn’t want to delve into all the game’s economic components, they could simply select a tax-free territory and begin building a park. The game handled staff management, and the player simply placed attractions and watched as happy (or not so happy) visitors darted around their park. However, there was always the option to delve into the finer settings. This was only necessary on the hard difficulty, where players had to exist on the brink of a positive economic balance and compete with clever rival parks. The game was meticulously crafted, allowing players to choose the difficulty level based on their preferences. The game sold well in Europe, even four years later, but failed in America. Either the flimsy graphics weren’t to their liking, or the economic component turned players off. Nevertheless, ThemePark became considered Peter Molyneux’s most popular game. The game was later ported to the Sony Playstation and Sega Mega Drive .

Along with Park in 1994, Magic Carpet was released —one of Molyneux’s most unusual games. It combines action and strategy. It’s believed the game was born by accident, as a test run for a new 3D engine. It was created by Glenn Corpse for Powermonger. The engine was beautiful but slow, so Peter decided to save it for another game. He planned to take the idea of ​​Syndicate, but set it underwater. As with Syndicate, Molyneux came up with the basics, and Bullfrog handled the rest. He later disliked the idea of ​​underwater cities, but by that point the engine had been polished to the limit and was fit for a good action game. Ultimately, Magic Carpet’s gameplay mechanics included collecting mana and destroying other wizards with spells from various schools of magic. Despite featuring a variable landscape and water reflections, it failed to gain popularity. Perhaps the interface was overloaded and to blame.

 

Long-term confrontation

After the failure of Magic Carpet, Electronic Arts increased the pressure on Bullfrog and Molyneux. The publisher wanted to recoup the investment it had made in publishing games that hadn’t paid off. However, this pressure was largely partly responsible for the rather crude state of the games upon release. EA management decided to take a no-win approach and demanded the rapid release of sequels to successful series. As a result, Bullfrog was working on six or seven games simultaneously. They were constantly rushed and threatened with fines for missing deadlines. As a result, the studio’s staff increased fivefold, but the new employees were underqualified, which affected the quality of their work.

 

Interestingly, HiOctane was released around this time. There are many theories about why such a non-specific game appeared at Bullfrog. One theory is that one of the developers created it in their spare time and submitted it to EA as a finished product. Another is that the publisher demanded the immediate completion of any project the studio was developing (Magic Carpet 2 and Dungeon Keeper), which was impossible. So Molyneux himself sat down and wrote HiOctane from scratch so that Bullfrog would be left alone for a while.

 

“Evil is good”

Finally, in 1997, Dungeon Keeper was released . After a significant hiatus, Molyneux was back at it again, working on a god simulator. This time, a god of the underworld. The new game had some interesting ideas. Players assumed the role of an evil dungeon master. You could mine gold with minions and customize the dungeon to your liking, while “good” heroes, greedy for your riches, constantly invaded your domain and tried to destroy it. Excellent music and the atmosphere of a gloomy dungeon completed the overall picture. It was immediately clear that this was a Peter Molyneux game. It had a life of its own, although the scale was smaller, but the number of in-game events increased, requiring constant monitoring.

A little later, something few expected happened. Rumors began to circulate, and then headlines began to surface, that Molyneux was leaving Bullfrog. And so it happened. Peter quit his studio and, taking the founding members with him, created Lionhead.

 

Later, Molyneux explained his decision this way:

“It was probably the worst period of my life. I’d come to work and spend only half an hour on each game we were developing, and then work would be over and I’d go home. Bullfrog meant everything to me, but suddenly, from being the head of the company and a game designer, I went from being someone who didn’t develop games, but sat in their office, making decisions on pressing matters all day. Like some kind of manager. I realized I hated my job, but at the same time, I still loved games. There were only two options left: either quit as the head of the company and become a regular designer, or leave Bullfrog altogether.”

 

Lionhead Studios

Lionhead Studios is a studio founded by Peter Molyneux in 1997 in London. Lionhead, with the support of Electronic Arts, released Black & White in 2001. The game immediately brought fame to its creators. Peter later admitted that he owed this success most of all. Later in 2006, the studio was acquired by Microsoft and incorporated into its Microsoft Game Studios division. The studio still exists today and is working on the Fable series. Released games: • 2001 – Black & White (Windows, Mac OS X) • 2002 – Black & White: Creature Isle (add-on; Windows, Mac OS X) • 2004 — Fable (Xbox) • 2005 – Fable: The Lost Chapters (Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox) • 2005 – Black & White 2 (Windows, Mac OS X) • 2005 — The Movies (Windows, Mac OS X) • 2006 – Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods (add-on; Windows, Mac OS X) • 2006 – The Movies: Stunts & Effects (add-on; Windows, Mac OS X) • 2008 – Fable II (Xbox 360) • 2009 – Fable II: Knothole Island (addition) • 2009 — Fable II: See the Future (add-on) • 2010 – Fable 3 (Windows, Xbox 360) Games released after Molyneux’s departure: • 2012 – Fable Heroes (Xbox 360) • 2012 — Fable: The Journey (Xbox 360, Kinect) • 2014 – Fable Anniversary (Windows, Xbox 360) Games in development: • TBA — Cooperation • TBA — Miloand Kate • TBA – Fable: Legends (Xbox One, Windows)

 

A new world awaits

The new studio’s first project, and as it would later turn out, Molyneux’s entire life’s work, was Black & White . Three long years of development. Three years of advertising, pitches, and promises. Peter gathered like-minded people around him. He needed a team to create “that” game. Tired of constant persecution from EA, he turned Lionhead into a dream studio: employees played games, discussed everything, and worked about six hours a day. But a few weeks later, when the moment had arrived, Peter announced it was time to start making a game that would change people’s perceptions of games. It would take several years to make, but it was definitely worth it. And… everyone agreed. The people cherished the atmosphere at Lionhead, and they began to implement Molyneux’s plan.

The start of development didn’t mean the staff returned to boring work. On the contrary, a cheerful and friendly atmosphere continued to permeate the studio. And the title of “Worst Programmer of the Month,” which Peter often received, didn’t bother anyone.

It’s unclear whether the fun development process contributed to the games’ success, but the efforts of Molyneux and his R&D team were certainly not in vain. We were promised everything at once: modern graphics, high-quality music, thought-provoking AI, and complete freedom of action. All of this was topped off with a storyline that would captivate even the most discerning gamer. All of this was promised in the game, yet the release date was constantly pushed back…

 

The Creator lives in everyone

More than two thousand years ago, this day, March 15th, became fateful for Julius Caesar. In fact, it was his last day. What am I trying to say? Simply that March 15th, 2001, has become no less significant. At least for us Lionheaders. It’s time to add it to calendars and study it in schools. Say, in schools that train developers. Steve Jackson

And then the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived: the game was released. At first, the excitement was enormous. It was the “Game of All Time for PC,” and from Peter Molyneux, no less. The game was receiving top marks. Critics praised it for everything imaginable. The hype had done its job.

But a little time passed, and the first doubts arose. The plot consisted of five monotonous missions that had to be completed either as “good” or “evil” (the title obliged). Playing as neutral was even less interesting. In the game about “God,” you had to do everything yourself: ask for prayers and make sacrifices to yourself. It was a mess.

A little more time passed, and the game began to be assessed more realistically. It wasn’t a success, but it’s hard to call it a failure either. In fact, Molyneux promised significantly more. Unusual features for the genre were also found. The player’s “hand” was original; you could even use it to scratch the Beast behind the ear. (The Beast was also a great innovation.)

Black & White has many fans, but it never achieved cult status. Molyneux’s attempt to create a “game of the century” failed, despite his best efforts.

 

A new story about the main thing

It’s 2001. The new Xbox is about to launch . Microsoft is trying to find an RPG answer to its competitor, Final Fantasy . Questions like “Who’s making it?” were in the air. The answer was found almost immediately. Molyneux, already a renowned strategy game developer, is heading up development, and everyone’s question shifts to “What’s going to happen?” And Peter has begun to realize his vision of creating the perfect RPG.

Molyneux’s main weapon this time around is promises. If Black & White failed to become the best game in the world, then Fable (and Project Ego , at the beginning of development ) was supposed to be the best role-playing game in the history of the industry. Another bold claim. Everyone should have been wary, but the promises worked again. Among the promised features: real-time-growing trees, rival heroes with the smartest artificial intelligence, and, of course, freedom of choice that affects the game world.

The year is 2004. The moment when the Xbox’s main weapon hits shelves. Players, remembering the previous game, immediately raised the alarm about the broken promises. Where were the growing trees? Where was the social life? And where were the other characters? All of it was missing. Cries of “We’ve been deceived again!” began, and Peter began apologizing on various forums, claiming that everything had been there, but had to be removed because Microsoft was rushing the release.

After a while, players cooled off and simply started playing Fable. And it turned out to be a very engaging game. It once again featured a number of interesting innovations, and its satirical and self-critical style appealed to many. Its downsides included limited freedom of choice, a drawn-out and monotonous pace, and a poor balance (the game was easily completed with just a few skills).

But all the minor flaws paled in comparison to the game’s enchanting atmosphere, which made you feel like you were in a true fairy tale. And after the PC port, when the campaign was extended and the balance was slightly polished, the game took on a new life. Fable: The Lost Chapters became truly vibrant, beautiful, and engaging. If Molyneux hadn’t made false promises, no one would have complained.

 

Interestingly, although Molyneux was listed as the project’s director, all the real work was done by Simon and Dean Carter of BigBlueBox.

 

Filming the American Dream

After development on The Movies began , Lionhead’s publicity department followed a well-established pattern, shouting to the world about a revolutionary new game that would change the genre. Unsurprisingly, many didn’t believe it. Molyneux began making impossible promises and once again took on a project that was difficult to implement. Peter promised to give us a game in which we could make movies, judged by a computer jury. But this time, almost all of his promises turned out to be true.

March 8, 2005, arrived. The game was released. Sales were satisfactory, but most importantly, it lived up to its promise. No one was screaming that they’d been cheated, but there were still some flaws. The first question that plagued everyone was how they would measure the quality of films: by budget, by actors, or by advertising? Molyneux took a more cunning approach: Peter split the game into two parts.

The first part is a business simulator in which you need to successfully produce a movie. The game is somewhat reminiscent of The Sims from the American developer Maxis . You need to set up a film studio, choose sets for your films, take care of the actors’ physical and mental well-being, and so on. The tasks are fairly simple: make a film on a specific topic or within specific conditions.

In this regard, the game’s campaign mode is well-developed. You can truly feel the high-quality work the creators have done. Peter and his team spent a lot of time ensuring the game accurately reflects the history of cinema. Each historical era is accurately depicted and provides access to corresponding equipment and sets. All of this was enjoyable and made the game enjoyable. Of course, you can also make films in the campaign mode based on your own ideas, but this is unprofitable, as the budget is drastically small.

That’s why, in the second part, we’re playing in a typical “sandbox.” Here, with a huge budget, access to a large cast and crew, and absolutely all the sets, you can “create” your own movie. True, the results will mostly be simple, mediocre videos. Making a good movie can require remarkable patience and perseverance.

 

Interestingly, Peter is once again using methods he tried and tested back in ThemePark. He divides the game into a “creative” mode and an economic simulator where you earn money.

 

Unfortunately, TheMovies wasn’t as successful as Lionhead had hoped, which put a strain on the studio’s budget.

 

Second incarnation

The first Black & White left a lot of room for innovation. During the game’s development, the creators often mentioned that many features would be better saved for the second game. Furthermore, you could save your creature to a separate file. Everything hinted at a sequel’s imminent release, and everyone was just waiting for confirmation from Molyneux. Before the release of Black & White 2, Peter apologized for the shortcomings of the first game and blamed it on an improperly positioned camera.

On October 7, 2005, Black & White 2 was released, which truly marked a significant departure from the first game. The staunch “black and white” theme was now replaced by eight different character traits. Beautiful graphics, new spells, and people who had learned to fight were also present.

But all this wasn’t enough for a good game. The game lacked any atmosphere whatsoever. A god simulator game wasn’t one. The player felt like the mayor. Their divine hand, working miracles left and right, was taken for granted by their subjects. Only occasionally would the amusing advisors remind them that they were God, not a mayor.

The game itself was boring. The playstyles for “good” and “evil” differed only in the pace of play. To make matters worse, the game had high system requirements and suffered from a number of bugs. This was the second blow to Lionhead’s economy.

Even the expansion pack, Black & White: Battle of the Gods , released on April 25, 2006 , didn’t save the situation. On the contrary, it was significantly worse than the original. Its new features included several new worlds and a new creature, the Turtle. The artificial intelligence (AI) became significantly worse, and new bugs were introduced. The game failed on all counts. After the release of this expansion pack for “Peter Molyneux’s greatest game of his life,” Lionhead lost its independence and became part of Microsoft Game Studios.

 

Money, virtual and not so virtual

After such significant setbacks, Lionhead tried to make a dent in the game by releasing the expansion The Movies: Stunts and Effects . It was identical to similar expansions for The Sims and made only cosmetic changes to the original game.

 

Returning to the old

New management, trying to resolve the studio’s financial problems, is talking about the need for a continuation of the Fable series. Peter himself recognizes the need for a sequel, but what kind?

Development lasted two years. Throughout, Peter repeatedly insisted that he knew where he was going and that all the sins of the first game would be atoned for. And in the end, we got…

On October 21, 2008, Fable 2 was released . And then Microsoft couldn’t help but throw a curveball: the second game became (and still remains) an Xbox 360 exclusive . Many expected this turn of events, but most fans of the original game were PC fans.

As we recall, Fable was meant to be a response to many RPGs, but when creating an RPG and trying to strip it of all unnecessary features, the key is not to overdo it. Lionhead took an interesting approach—not simply removing all the “superfluous” hallmarks of the genre, but completely replacing them. The first Fable led the player by the hand through their character’s life from childhood to old age, entertaining them with the little details along the way. Fable 2 maintained this direction. It added new features, updated graphics, and… well, that seems to be it.

We continue to follow a straightforward plot with lightly sketched “choices.” Our hero’s appearance changes significantly throughout their life, largely dependent on the moral decisions we make. Playing as a “good” character, the path through gloomy caves will soon be illuminated by a halo hanging overhead. But if you’re a staunch supporter of evil, it’s best to duck when exiting that very cave to avoid snagging your horns on the roof. In dialogue, you can either agree or protest. The role-playing model has been simplified to the point of impossibility. The game has become, in places, reminiscent of a slasher. The second incarnation of Molyneux’s “fable” wasn’t what he intended.

 

This is important: Molyneux will later say that he was once again being pushed by the publisher, and because of this, Fable 2 turned out to be too buggy. During playtesting, a huge number of bugs, approximately 67,000, were discovered. To fix this, all new features had to be cut, which again could not be added to the game. Peter will also note the fact that players only used 60% of the features presented to them, which, in his opinion, is unacceptable for role-playing games.

 

And again a fable about life

The problems with Fable 2 not only didn’t deter Molyneux, they challenged him. He saw the problems that were lurking in the development of the second game and wanted to fix them as quickly as possible. Fable 3 was supposed to fix them all (as we’ve heard countless times) and create one of the best adventures in RPG history.

The press listened to Molyneux’s promises again and nodded reluctantly. Peter had started making too many promises. The first game had a system in place where we made decisions. In the second, we could observe the plot from a distance and see where it led. In Fable 3, they expected this course to continue.

October 26, 2010. Fable 3 is released. The result is a wild mix of the first and second games. One half of the game is the first Fable, in which we must overthrow a tyrant monarch and restore justice. And when we succeed, the game should end, but Molyneux has other plans.

The second half of the game, when you become king, is a sandbox RPG where you have to make fateful decisions for the kingdom. It’s certainly a bold move, but players accustomed to saving the world at sword’s length received it as lukewarmly as the previous installment. Sure, the third installment featured updated graphics, but once again the RPG system was drastically simplified. You simply teleported home and picked up a new weapon. Survival and interesting inventory management were out of the question. Once again, the game fell short of Molyneux’s vision.

New technologies dictate their own rules, and Molyneux has to come to terms with them. While Fable 3 could, with some caveats, be considered a good game, the release of Fable: The Jorney on October 9, 2012, was completely indefensible. The new game in the Fable universe was tied to Kinect and essentially turned into a typical shooting gallery using magic. Needless to say, it wasn’t the best solution for such a universe.

After such a failure, Peter believes that Microsoft, the publisher that is pressuring him, is once again to blame. And so he decides to leave again… and start his own new studio.

 

22Cans

22Cans was founded in March 2012 by Peter Molyneux and former Lionhead Studios CTO Tim Rance. According to Molyneux, “22” signifies “an effort to assemble a team of 22 talented, passionate, and creative individuals who will create the defining games of their careers.” The studio currently has 26 employees. The studio’s first project was a “multiplayer social experiment” called Curiosity – What’s Inside the Cube? On November 6, 2012, after the cube’s secret was revealed, a second game, Godus, was announced, a God simulator. Released games: • 2012 – Curiosity – What’s Inside the Cube? • 2014 — Godus Games in development: • Cooperation • Miloand Kate • The Trial

 

Interestingly, as Molyneux admits in an interview: “I had a strong desire to do something special. Of course, I didn’t have an idea for the game back then, partly because if you work for Microsoft, all your ideas are Microsoft’s property. But then something terrible happened. One day in the studio, comfortably settled in my chair, I was dreaming with my eyes closed, headphones with pleasant music – I was thinking about new ideas for Fable The Journey. Suddenly, I felt my chair move. I turned around. It was the Microsoft employee who sets up the chairs—a pleasant woman who comes in once a month and sorts out the settings to make sure they’re set up correctly. And I thought this was crazy…”

 

A new story in an old wrapper

22Cans’s first project was meant to revolutionize gaming (yet again). Curiosity’s social experiment, What’s Inside the Cube?, invited players from around the world to team up to discover what was inside a cube. To do so, everyone had to click on its face, breaking off several pieces. Doing so rewarded players with resources that could be used to buy more powerful tools. It hardly resembled a game, but Molyneux occasionally made intriguing statements like, “There’s something we don’t tell players when they’re playing inside the cube. When you’re playing inside the cube, you’re also doing something else. You don’t even realize you’re doing it. But you’re not just doing things inside the cube. You don’t realize it yet, but you’re doing something else somewhere else at the same time.” And even more fantastical: “What’s inside the cube has the power to change lives.”

As it turns out, the cube contained a message stating that anyone who reached its center would be able to become a deity in the studio’s new game, Godus . The winner was also promised a small percentage of the game’s sales. The winner was a certain Brian Henderson from Edinburgh .

 

Development began on November 6, 2012, and after a successful Kikstarter campaign (namely, half a million British pounds sterling), the studio continued developing Godus with renewed vigor . But then something went wrong…

On August 7, 2014, the game was released on iOS . The mobile release excited many. The mobile version was significantly different from the PC and console versions. Molyneux, as always, put his talent to work and promised to revive the god simulator “for everyone.” The game didn’t release within the promised nine months. This doesn’t include the free-to-play mobile version, and the PC version is still in early access. There hasn’t been a Linux version, and it looks like there won’t be one. Too many promises were unfulfilled.

A new scandal recently erupted. Journalists inquired about the Curiosity winner’s life, asking how Molyneux had been ignoring Henderson and how he hadn’t received a cent since the release of Godus. Following the scandal, Molyneux reported receiving threats against himself and his family, and to avoid negative consequences, he decided to remain in the shadows. In one interview, he stated:

“I love working on games—it’s my life. I’m honored to be part of the industry, but I understand that people are sick of my voice and my promises. So, I intend to completely stop communicating with the press and talking about my games.”

 

Following the scandal, some key employees left 22Cans, but despite this, the studio continues to develop the new project The Trial .

Considering we won’t be hearing any more promises from Peter Molyneux, and therefore, we shouldn’t expect news on a new game anytime soon, let’s hope that one of the gaming industry’s prophets can find a way out of this situation and we’ll get to play his new games again.

Molyneux’s importance to the gaming industry

Molyneux continues to do what he loves, and he still has time to create new sensations, but we can already sum up the results of his creative activity.

Peter Molyneux invented a new strategy genre—the God simulator (Popolus, Black & White, Godus), significantly changed people’s perceptions of the business simulator genre (ThemePark, TheMovie), and contributed to the development of role-playing games (the Fable series). He tried many times to create the perfect game, but never achieved it. The three studios he founded, which produced excellent games, speak to Molyneux’s free-spirited and creative nature. Although he sometimes got carried away and often made lofty promises he couldn’t fulfill, Molyneux nevertheless exemplifies determination.

It is thanks to extraordinary individuals like Peter Molyneux that the gaming industry continues to evolve, improve, and reach new heights.