Peter Molyneux Interview

[GameBanshee News]

Gamasutra was recently able to conduct an interview with Lionhead Studios' Peter Molyneux on several topics, including the company's "experiments", the dog in Fable II, forcing players to make tough choices, and more. Here's how it begins:

Christian Nutt: You guys are famous for prototyping. And when I talk to people who either still work at Lionhead or are veterans, they talk a lot about the extensive prototyping -- bits and pieces of it show up in your games later. One thing that Iwata said is that he'll see something in a prototype that they're working on, then it might get yanked out of the game and never ship in that final game, and then he'll see it two years later in another game.

Peter Molyneux: Yeah, well it's very interesting how it works. Prototypes, a lot of them are inspired by designers and some of them by me, but some of them are inspired by anybody that's got a bit of free time, like at the end of a project. Anybody can kick of one of these experiments.

And we call them "experiments" and not prototypes because "prototypes" makes it sound like it's being built just for a product. But they are experiments. Some of the experiments are just completely out there. You would think, "How could that ever fit in anything?" I feel really happy with that because you never know when you're going to see some little glimpse.

There's one particular experiment I'm going to show, which has got a fantastic feel to it. It has this amazing feel. It kind of feels like it's a room. And in this room, it kind of feels like there should be an old person in this room.

I'm spoiling it a little bit. I instinctively know that we're going to use something from that, but I don't know what in. This is going to be my first real [GDC] talk, you know. I'm not PR-ing a product. This is a real reveal of how Lionhead works and how the experimental process works.

CN: It's quite exciting, too, I think. I was happy to talk to you just because again there's no product in the room, so it really opens up the possibilities.

PM: If it were up to me, I would be talking about what Lionhead is doing today. I think we're doing some pretty astounding stuff, and some of that is a result of the experiments. Certainly, the thing that I hope that we're going to be in a position to announce soon is very, very different from what you expect.

We're a little bit of, "Lionhead is Fable, Fable Lionhead." I don't think Lionhead should just be that. We should be able to try very challenging things. So, this big thing that we're working on is very, very different. You could possibly see where it came from in terms of our history. But if you look at it, there's nothing like it.

[fable]

I love that bit where an affronted Molyneux corrects his interviewer about using the term prototype--because these are experiments, Molyneux and his team being scientists, after all.

[Brother None]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fable I love that bit where an affronted Molyneux corrects his interviewer about using the term prototype--because these are experiments, Molyneux and his team being scientists, after all.

Molyneux is a Doctor of Science

:/

[fable]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brother None Molyneux is a Doctor of Science :/

Heh. A Doctor of Thinkology: figures.

[swcarter]

Peter Molyneux, from the interview:

Quote:

I have to be very careful because two interviews ago, my mouth just started talking, and my brain wasn't processing what was coming out of my mouth

There you go. Quote of the Year, only taken slightly out of context.

SWC

[DesR85]

Quote:

Peter Molyneux: Right, yeah. That's interesting. With Fable 2, I've got my list. I always have a list of things that I think we kind of could have done better on. I wouldn't say we "failed" on, we could have done better on. I still think there's a long way [to go] with the people in the world.

I do admit that some of his games are interesting and do have interesting ideas, but at them same time, it felt as if a hodgepodge of ideas are dumped into these games, some good, some bad. Solid games, but lack of focus, if you ask me.