Peter Molyneux interview: 'It's over, I will not speak to the press again'

[Victorious Secret]

For those of you wondering who Peter is, he is probably the biggest snake oil salesman the gaming industry will have. Always promising new features, always shooting for the stars, missing the moon and clouds entirely, and ending up with his ass firmly in the ground. He always had a knack of promising so much and maybe way too much, falling into the typical trap of selling too high and never living up to the claims. 

His latest games failure (Godus) is a monument to this mans career, a career that IMHO went to hell after he decently butchered what Fable could've been, what it seemed like it had, but ultimately resulted in a franchise that was crushed under the weight of this mans hype machine. 

Protip Peter: don't blame the press. Blame yourself. This is all on you. Its not like people don't talk to the media and hype their products to the moon. It happens all the time. Difference being, other people didn't develop a career out of overhyping their creations to drum up interested. YOU did. If you only knew how to temper your own expectations and oh I don't know, listened to a publicist/PR team on how to talk to the public, maybe your games wouldn't have had the taint of "Oh, did Peter front this game? No wonder I'm disappointed"

I think its important news for the industry. People need to take this as a wakeup call. Don't oversell your games. Don't become so emotionally invested in the chase of success. Stay somewhat humble and realize that sooner or later, your chickens will come home to roost. 
 

“The only answer is for me to retreat,” he says, speaking via Skype from his office in Guildford. “I love my games and I love sharing them with people. It’s this amazing incredible thing I get to do with my life, creating ideas and sharing them with people. The problem is, it just hasn’t worked.”

 

Awarded an OBE in 2004, Molyneux is one of the most prominent members of the UK games industry. In the 26 years following Populous, he oversaw classic strategy and adventure titles like Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and most recently the Fable series. But ever since leaving his seminal studio Bullfrog in 1997, he has become just as well-known for enthusiastically hyping his projects, only to deliver products that fail to live up to the impossibly grand expectations.

 

Godus is the latest, most ruinous example. The game, a spiritual successor to Populous, challenges players to grow and support a population of followers who can then interact with the worlds developed by other players. In December 2012, Molyneux’s small studio, 22 Cans, received over half a million pounds via the crowd-funding site Kickstarter to develop the game. Rewards were offered to backers and the release date was set within a seven to nine month window.

 

The problem is, although a smartphone version has been released, the PC iteration of the game hasn’t. 18 months after its proposed release date, it is still in development. Furthermore, in a video recently released to the internet, Molyneux announced that the development team would be shrinking, so that staff could be moved onto a new title, The Trail. He also announced that many backers would not receive the rewards they were promised for financially supporting the game, and that some of the Kickstarter pledges may not be achieved.

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/13/peter-molyneux-game-designer-interview-godus

[Unhelpful]

Yeah he always wants to do a ton and aims to do it... Then just falls flat. (Fable series)

 

It's pretty unfortunate. Although trying to do much is a decent flaw to have, at least it isn't malicious. 

[Victorious Secret]

Yeah he always wants to do a ton and aims to do it... Then just falls flat. (Fable series)

 

It's pretty unfortunate. Although trying to do much is a decent flaw to have, at least it isn't malicious. 

 

Ask Fable fans, I'm sure they'd disagree with what he did to that series by the end. See, RPGs like that are supposed to blow your mind in successive releases as the stories and choices you make delve deeper and deeper. See: Mass Effect or KotOR. Fable just left me more and more disappointed as the games went on. 

[Camul]

Well, at least he won't be flooding news sites with his bullshit any more.

[Victorious Secret]

Well, at least he won't be flooding news sites with his bullshit any more.

 

See, I doubt that. His personality won't let him shut up. He will always be hyping the next thing. And even in these interviews, he keeps shifting the blame around. 

[Unhelpful]

Ask Fable fans, I'm sure they'd disagree with what he did to that series by the end. See, RPGs like that are supposed to blow your mind in successive releases as the stories and choices you make delve deeper and deeper. See: Mass Effect or KotOR. Fable just left me more and more disappointed as the games went on. 

I don't think it was malicious... Just the largest example of biting off more than you can chew. And a lack of realistic expectations from himself. And overconfidence. And no grasp of due dates.

 

And overall ineptitude. 

[Mister Snow]

I don't think it was malicious... Just the largest example of biting off more than you can chew. And a lack of realistic expectations from himself. And overconfidence. And no grasp of due dates.

 

And overall ineptitude. 

 

I agree with this. It really seems like he didn't plan it, just a man overestimating himself with a touch of bad luck. 

[OddLee]

Good riddance. This guy helped destroy a series I loved. It's always lie after lie with him so it's safe to say he's lying about this as well.

[euniqe]

I agree with this. It really seems like he didn't plan it, just a man overestimating himself with a touch of bad luck. 

 

mmmm there's a difference between overestimation and lack of willpower. 

 

It was perfectly within his power to do everything he set out to acheive. 

 

He just couldn't be bothered due to a lack of willpower. Small, tiny human being. 

[Ashaira]

Who in their right mind would even agree to work for him. Don't feel sorry at all for the backers or the employees. They had it coming for believing him.

[Syntaxvgm]

My dick has less cockieness than this man.

[deathjester]

 

 

See, I doubt that. His personality won't let him shut up. He will always be hyping the next thing. And even in these interviews, he keeps shifting the blame around. 

 

So true. I am sure we will see his monthly "editorial" in sites like PC Gamer/IGN talking about Gaming as if he is god incarnate.

 

Also if you need a laugh. Check out this parody. Comedy gold. 

 

https://twitter.com/PeterMolydeux

 

Also the interview by RPS has to be the greatest  interview in video game journalism (often a joke) history.

 

RPS: Do you think that you’re a pathological liar?

 

L O L.