Peter Molyneux quits Microsoft
By
Jane Douglas, Section Editor
Molyneux leaving Lionhead and Microsoft as work concludes on Fable: The Journey, moving to independent venture 22 Cans.
Celebrated game designer Peter Molyneux is to leave Lionhead Studios and Microsoft, quitting the Fable developer and his creative director role at Microsoft Game Studios' European division to work with a new, independent outfit. In a tweet, Molyneux writes, "I have left the lovely amazing Microsoft and Lionhead. Now for something really amazing, scary and brave a new company called 22 Cans."
The Twitter announcement came shortly after a statement to Kotaku, in which he announced his intentions, saying, "It is with mixed emotions that I made the decision to leave Microsoft and Lionhead Studios, the company that I co-founded in 1997, at the conclusion of development of Fable: The Journey."
Molyneux, creator of Dungeon Keeper and Populous, as well as the Xbox-exclusive role-playing game franchise Fable, co-founded Lionhead in 1997. He set up the studio after leaving Bullfrog, which he had founded 10 years earlier and sold to Electronic Arts in 1995. Lionhead produced the god game Black & White under his direction, as well as the first Fable game, before being acquired by Microsoft in 2006.
After being appointed creative director of Microsoft Game Studios in Europe in 2009, Molyneux oversaw Microsoft-owned British developers Rare and Lionhead. In his creative director role, Molyneux was also a notable spokesman for Microsoft's Kinect system, memorably presenting Milo, a Kinect-based tech demo in the form of an interactive virtual boy, at 2009's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Details on who will take up Molyneux's duties at Microsoft and the nature of his new outfit, 22 Cans, are yet to surface. A placeholder page at 22cans.com shares the vague recruitment message, "A great team with a great idea leads to a great success."
By
Jane Douglas, Section Editor
Jane rejoices in the title of Section Editor, GameSpot UK. Fears: spiders, oblivion.
141 comments
This is what Peter Molyneux actually said "I have left the stupid a-hole Macros*it and Lionbutt. Now for something really amazing, scary and a brave a new adventure called "The World". Good luck Peter. We'll miss your fables about fables. Should've named this game "Peter Molyneux: The Journey".
Sucks to see him go, but he is a creative man. I am always interested to see what he has to offer. Hopefully nothing exclusive for the PS3 XD
do not underestimate him this man have ideas and ambition to make great games good luck peter
Best of luck to him. I hope that Fable's can get back to the spirit of the first game now that he is gone.
I'm glad he wants to do it. I absolutely love Black and White games and Fable 1. Fable 3 is just a big letdown imo. Go and brave a new company and create new amazing games!
do it old man! the only great memory i have from the games u ,ade is FABLE 1, ... then 2 and 3 wasnt especial at all and journey was just a mess
@AncientDozer: Without Molyneux? We'll probably be seeing Fable FPS soon :D Fable 4: So You Wanna Be an Archer (kinect support, bows not included)
We'll see what happens. If the games get better in his absence or if the games get worse.
@Darnasian Fable 2 being exclusive to 360 does not make the franchise exclusive to Xbox as the article claims: "as well as the Xbox-exclusive role-playing game franchise Fable". So perhaps you may wish to "check again". ;)
Always the dreamer and way too ambitious beyond his resources. Best of luck Mr Molyneux :D
Now Microsoft needs to buy EA. At least EA seeks new developing companies constantly. Microsoft wouldn't need to do anymore of that if they bought EA. They would get a huge library of exclusives immediately. We knew Peter wasn't going to last. Everyone was screaming for BC, a new Populus for our generation and the Milo game. He kept giving us Fable, Fable Fable. Maybe he'll actually get BC done now. Anyway, Microsoft needs to acquire a few more companies.
Peter Molyneux left without fulfilling the promise he made to us :( ... Oh well, I guess he has his reasons.. I wish him good luck and a prosperous life, and a big thanks to him for offering us an experience as passionate and epic as Fable 1.
I can honestly say, that even after the abomination that is Fable 3, they can still pull off a decent 4th Fable
I can honestly say have NEVER cared nor ever played the Fable series at all. But good luck to Pete, I guess.
wish him luck with his new company, just hope that he makes good games and not jump to mobile games
Well this is sad news and I hope he does greatness with is next project for what ever it may be.
pfft, nothing really to miss, the guy was honestly overrated from day one. He's released disappointment after disappointment after black and white, and even that one was overrated, with two crippling bugs that, to my knowledge, were not EVER fixed.
Look what Microsoft did when it bought out Rare from Nintendo.. they have a reputation for ruining good developers. It seems even Bungie got tired of them.
I will admit Fable 2 and 3 did not really meet the expectations I had hoped for, but at the same time still held that unique feeling the Fable universe gives me while playing in it. There is no doubt in my mind the sense of atmosphere that Peter Molyneux created in the Fable franchise is one of the best I have experienced in a game, along the lines of games like Ico, Shadow of the Collosues, and Flower. While the actuall content and gameplay may fall short, what make these games stand above is the depth of emotion and experience poured into them. I really hope Peter is able to fully realize and implement his ideas with this new game studio.
Overrated designer that hasn't made a great game since Black and White. All he did the last 8 years was make crappy Fable games. He sucks, and so will his new studio.
Well as good as the FABLE games are and will ALWAYS be, KINDOMS of AMULAR: RECKONING IS 100x better :-)
Hope ur happy Microsoft you made all your powercreators named PETER leave yor business :-(
Even though he always exgarrated in the fable games and alot of the things he said never got in the final product I will miss the feel that fable has. It wont be the same without him the "feel" of the game I really enjoy playing them hopefully the fable games in the future will be good but lets face it the games wont be the same without there original creator.
I guess there's only so much Fable one man can take, I wish he would have worked on making a proper Syndicate sequel.
Good for him. People love to bash him but he is a talented developer. The environment Microsoft put him in seemed to be stifling. Who knows maybe he feels the same way about Fable as most others do, but its his product so of course he has to promote it.
His Fable 1 has never left my heart and I hope he brings something to the PS3. I miss playing his games...:[
Why does everyone have to put him down just because he dreams big? Ok, so the reality often doesn't live up to the dream, but at least when you pick up and play one of his games it feels like you're playing something 'different' to the usual run of the mill game.
I'm not sure whether or not he or Microsoft was the reason to it, butever since they were bought, Lionhead went completely downhill.... Where IS Black & White 3, I ask thee?
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Fable: The Journey
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- Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
- Developer(s): Lionhead Studios
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Release:
- ESRB: T
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