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The end of any project can bring with it a mix of emotions, but for the team at Lionhead, Black & White isn't just any project. Eagerly anticipated by fans and industry pundits alike, Black & White is also the first game from Molyneux's new studio, Lionhead. Tonight, Molyneux is dressed in his stylish and characteristic all-black outfit (only green and yellow friendship bracelets around his wrists break the color coordination). He's a man who knows the stakes are high; the pressure is on. Time and again in the press, Molyneux has been quoted as saying that Black & White is the most important game of his career. For the first time in his career, Molyneux had complete freedom to do what he wanted; there could be no excuses. The only limit was his imagination.
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Molyneux funded Black & White's development out of his own pocket. |
"One of the things that's very different about Black & White," he begins to explain, "is that I funded it myself, out of my own pocket. I used to be able to say, 'Oh, if only I didn't have to rush this project for the publisher' and things like that, but this time, I had all the cards dealt to me." In total, Molyneux footed the US $6 million development costs out of his own bank account, primarily to ensure that he had ultimate control over the game. Besides the personal financial risk, Molyneux's biggest fear is one of personal disappointment. "I had straight aces in my hand this time. A great team, enough money to pay for the game myself, and complete freedom," he says, cupping his hands together and raising his eyebrows for a minute as if to suggest he's about to own up to something. "This time, the only thing that can f*** up this game is me and me alone," he says softly. He pauses. "There are no excuses this time. That's very scary...there have always been excuses before."
- Jayne Webley, Peter's sister
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With Molyneux's reputation riding on the game, the past three years of his life have been completely and utterly devoted to Black & White. "Peter has given up everything for Black & White," says Jayne Webley, his sister. "He has shut down his social life almost completely so there could be no distractions and so he could totally dedicate and devote every waking moment to the game." In fact, building a game as ambitious and groundbreaking as Black & White required innumerable sacrifices on the part of the entire team.
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Late in the afternoon, the office is bustling with activity. |
Hopefully, those sacrifices will come to an end tonight. But no matter what, there has always been one thing that Molyneux has never sacrificed: Games Night. Since 1995, he has had a standing appointment every 10 days with a group of five other London businessmen, including Games Night host and Eidos chairman, Ian Livingstone. Livingstone's house is filled with thousands of board games, computer games, and pinball games--three complete rooms of gaming nirvana for these six grown men. All throughout development of Black & White, Molyneux hasn't missed a single Games Night. As the team works to squash the final bugs, time is getting tight. Tonight is Games Night, and Molyneux doesn't want to miss it.
At 8pm, Livingstone receives a call from Molyneux. "Peter called just as we were about to start, and he said, 'We're hoping to cut the Black & White master. I'll be there by 9 o'clock,'" recalls Livingstone.
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Programmer Daniel Deptford is so tired he uses the floor as a bed. |
Unfortunately, 9 o'clock came and went; Hurricane (Molyneux's nickname at Games Night) never showed. For the first time since 1995, Molyneux had to sacrifice Games Night, the one thing he steadfastly refused to give up. "Peter never lets anything take precedence over Games Night," explains Livingstone. "But tonight was different."
Back at the office, the team works well into the night, and Molyneux eventually realizes he's going to miss Games Night. "It's terrible. I can't believe I'm missing it!" he says.
Worst of all, it looks like Team Lionhead might miss something else: Black & White's chance to go gold tonight seems to be slipping away as the minutes tick by.
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