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GDC 06: Molyneux rumors fly

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted Mar 24, 2006 5:52 pm PT

Famed developer skips his session at San Jose event, fueling rumors his studio has been bought by Microsoft.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--One of the main events at last month's D.I.C.E. summit was the "Battle of Bunker Hill," a Revolutionary War-themed mock gameshow in which some of the industry's leading luminaries engaged in a combination trivia/Pong tournament. Scheduled to lead the two teams were legendary game designers Will Wright (The Sims, SimCity) and Peter Molyneux (Black & White, Populous).

When the event kicked off, though, Molyneux was nowhere to be seen. His absence fueled rumors that his shop, Lionhead Studios, was the subject of a bidding war. Among the potential suitors mentioned were Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Ubisoft.

During the subsequent month, the rumors festered. On March 3, Lionhead laid off between 50 and 100 people and reduced its number of projects-in-development from three to two--a Black & White 2 expansion and a Fable sequel. Today, the floodgates of speculation reopened when Molyneux's session at the 2006 Game Developers Conference in San Jose was summarily canceled.

No official reason was given for the termination of the session, which was titled "Inspirations for Next Generation Designs." However, word on the GDC show floor was that Molyneux hadn't shown up because he had pressing matters back at Lionhead headquarters in the UK.

According to Gamesindustry.biz, those matters are the "final stages of negotiation" between Microsoft and Lionhead. Citing sources inside Lionhead, the British site says that the deal could be closed within days and that no job losses would result. The site also claims that Ubisoft was outbid by the software giant and is none too happy as a result.

But, as is often the case with all matters Microsoft, nothing is official until it's announced. A weary-sounding spokesperson for Microsoft told GameSpot, "As always, Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation." Lionhead reps had not returned requests for comment.

65 Comments

  • TheDudeAbides2

    Posted May 23, 2006 5:55 pm PT

    Microsoft got em dude thats old news. Fable is a great series thats gonna most likely surpass Oblivion and WoW if M$ gets behind them full force that is. I mean look at Halo its the most publicized FPS. I remeber ppl forgetting about Half-Life 2 cuz they cared more about Halo. So the same could be true for this series. One thing is for sure though, playstations days as the RPG leader are dead. Huxley, Oblivion, Fable 2, Tabula Rasa, Mass Effect, so on and so on.

  • lokidawn271

    Posted May 22, 2006 5:34 pm PT

    dude i so hope ubisoft gets it

  • nightshadeA

    Posted Mar 28, 2006 6:13 pm PT

    I wouldnt be suprised if ea bought them out seeing as ea bought molyneaux's last company bullfrog ......(right after they made syndicate 1 and theme park )

  • Etherninty

    Posted Mar 27, 2006 5:32 pm PT

    It's a good deal for Microsoft if they can include "shut up Molyneux" inside it.

  • Vegeta-sama

    Posted Mar 27, 2006 2:00 pm PT

    Accually the main reason for getting the studio is that the company ownes the intelectual rights to all of those nifty games. Microsoft wants Fable to be Xbox only and they are getting some other great IPs with it if they are buying this dev.

  • ufopuller

    Posted Mar 27, 2006 6:26 am PT

    Rumour?, That a fact!

  • hscream13

    Posted Mar 27, 2006 4:03 am PT

    damn microsoft

  • tweakernin

    Posted Mar 27, 2006 1:51 am PT

    I think EA got them for 78 million.

  • 2TrickedOut

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 10:12 pm PT

    mariocart64fan, You don't know much about the 360 it will stomp nintendo and will be a close match for the ps3. The 360 is a stable system now that there production has been better. Ps3 will have its own glitches as well as nintendo. Lionhead is a good buy. black & white 1,2 and fable both did awesome. and we know there will be a next gen fable and maybe a black&white2 on the 360.

  • mythrol

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 7:17 pm PT

    Microsoft needs to buy Lionhead. If Ubisoft or EA got them odds are these Xbox exclusives wouldn't stay exclusives. Or might not even go to the system at all. MS needs to buy Silicion Knights next. Since they've left being 2nd party developer to Nintendo they've already announced the Too Human triology for the 360. MS needs to close the deal and get a sequel to Eternal Darkness to boost sales.

  • ghsacidman

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 3:35 pm PT

    As long as EA does get them, I'm happy. I hope they don't get bought out by anyone, Lionhead is revolutionary and I fear corporate influence might hold them back.

  • diabolis

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 2:02 pm PT

    Crazy.. for once Im actually happy Microsoft bought a company. If Electronic Arts had taken over Lions Head then it would be the end to all Molyneux freedom to make origional game. EA is the most evil company in the business.. cares only about deadlines and money, not inspiration and quality.

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 1:28 pm PT

    they aint getting nintendo lol bye ms 360 is wack good visuals nothing new or breakthroughs found on the glitchy console , ps3 and revolution will stomp it , it will be a maricle to see halo3 ever come out

  • Sweendrix

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 11:37 am PT

    Some people say that Fable was over-hyped...but I think a lot of this extensive amount of hype was generated by gamers interested in the game, as well as the gaming media that constantly looked for new information on Fable. Fable was very ambitious, and sometimes when developers get ambitious, they concentrate too heavily on the ambition, and in return, they lose some edge in other areas. If you ignore the unmatchable glorified hype, Fable was a very solid and enjoyable game. The combat system was awesome, casting spells was extremely fun, and the game worlds were pretty damn beautiful. Fable did fall short in the value area when gamers found that beating the game could be done in a relatively short amount of time. Looking at Fable though, it was a memorable experience that I enjoyed very much, and can't wait for a sequel. I think the bidding war on Lionhead is very legitimate indeed, as the potential for the Fable property has unlimited potential.

  • Ichiziro

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 11:25 am PT

    microsoft and lionhead, together they could really make some good games...
    no offense to ubisoft, but they just need to bugger off, because i just dont see ubisoft and lionhead as a powerhouse game dev team. oh, and to trancejeremy, who made the ignorant Uwe Boll reference, Peter Molyneux is in no way the "Uwe Boll of gaming". He is a competent individual who simply strives for the best. Sure he may not be able to deliver on some of his more aspiring ventures but atleast he tries. I bet you havent even played Fable or Black&White. You are making a serious mistake by calling those games flops...

  • Petri87

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 10:45 am PT

    trancejeremy---
    It's strange that companies would be so eager to bid for a company that produces nothing but over-hyped flops that lose tons of money. Peter Molyneux is the Uwe Boll of gaming. .-.-.-.

    Yeah, Black & White and Fable were huge flops or NOT!!!!

  • HuxleyHobbes

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 8:50 am PT

    "It's strange that companies would be so eager to bid for a company that produces nothing but over-hyped flops that lose tons of money. Peter Molyneux is the Uwe Boll of gaming." ~ trancejeremy

    Flops like Magic Carpet, Theme Park, Syndicate, Black & White, Dungeon Keeper, and need I say it - Populous? The man has contributed massively to gaming. He recieved an OBE for it. The Queen doesn't throw those around like candied sweets, you know. Less Boll, more Spielberg.

    Sure, the last couple of games have been a little less revolutionary than his earlier stuff, but they've still been very good games in their own right. Fable is a classy piece of software, one I can happily play.

  • AceCometh

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 6:15 am PT

    Microsoft + Lionhead = More Xbox 360 games. Life is good.

  • gaiden1024

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 6:08 am PT

    The juggernaught otherwise known as microsoft... I don't mind MS buying up game studio's but it sucks when those studio's only release games for Ms's consoles... like Bungie would have been very different today if they were still going... Oni 2 on Pc would be nice though

  • xbx4ever

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 6:06 am PT

    Molyneux is a genius that pushes the industry. The reason he's made early claims about his games is because he loves what he does and get's excited about his projects, and unlike other developers, isn't afraid of sharing his ideas with us. He is due for another revolutionary title and with MS dollars, I wouldn't bet against him!

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