Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis - Kotaku Comments

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

SuperTurtle — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:22:20 MST

I surprised there been no reaction to the blasphemes picture of Christ, and the mother of god that you defamed here. While it not a revered Muslim figure that you defaced here (which surely would provoke a reaction from Muslims), that picture is in VERY bad taste, and would certainly be considered offensive to people of Christian faith. I don't expect Christians to make bomb threats, and I suspect that most readers here care not one way or another. However, any Christian seeing the above would be deeply offended. This is VERY bad taste and shows a great insensitivity on the part of Kotaku. I would suggest some type of warning here (as this is what Kotaku normally does when posting something that is considered very offensive to some people, or in this case a particular religion).

Super Turtle

SuperTurtle

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

shadow_judge — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 09:41:49 MST

Nice! I love the "Ten years ago" articles! Keep up the good work, Kotaku!

shadow_judge

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

FunkyJ — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:34:31 MST

@BLUEBRAKE: Churning out sequels?

I understand the sentiment here but as they haven't even finished Fable 2, and Fable was out years ago, I can't see it as "churning".

FunkyJ

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

Anemone — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:19:11 MST

In twelve years time, people will be happy to play their games with one button, as they are confused by using any more buttons to attack. -- retro-Peter Molyneux on Fable 2.

Anemone

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

simonc — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:56:31 MST

Blimey, Hassabis is indeed a researcher into memory now - that's pretty interesting:

[science-community.sciam.com]

simonc

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

cynopt — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:51:47 MST

@BLUEBRAKE: Some properties could use a good churning, but all good points.

cynopt

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

cynopt — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:50:22 MST

Vedy interesting, I liked that he was a Quake fan AND one of those people that got urpy playing FPS games.

The most important question anyone can ask Molyneux was overlooked, though:
When are they going to get off their asses and start on a new Syndicate game?

He's said he actually wants to, the demand is there; what's the effing hold up?
His next project could be a full body tactile simulator, complete with genital feedback unit, that cost ten dollars and shipped with three free games, and it would still be only marginally as good as a modern Syndicate.

cynopt

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

BLUEBRAKE — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:46:55 MST

I remember Molyneux saying that about his company never growing larger than 20. He was pretty firm about it. After he sold Bullfrog, he wanted to found a studio that would never become what Bullfrog became -- a giant, soulless corporation where his personal touch on games was lost.

Just a few years later, that was exactly what Lionhead had turned into. The sale of the company to Microsoft was a perfect echo of Bullfrog's sale to EA ten years earlier. I still wonder just what the hell happened to make him so dramatically reverse his philosophy and make all the same mistakes again.

Lionhead has always seemed to me like this vat of enormous unrealized potential -- like they could have been one of the top developers in the world, but things never quite clicked right. Now that they've been reduced to churning out sequels for the whims of Microsoft, I don't suppose they ever will.

BLUEBRAKE

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

yhancik — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:41:16 MST

funny, according to wikipedia (but it lacks citations!), Demis is now working in cognitive neuroscience ;)
[en.wikipedia.org]

yhancik

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

falthorn — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:25:48 MST

Virtual Cop? Those British dudes add extra letters onto EVERYTHING.

falthorn

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

R1co281 — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:15:53 MST

10 years ago I was exactly 10. Because you know, todays my birthday =X.

R1co281

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

KaneTaker — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:49:41 MST

Considering how much game development has changed, at the time, I'm sure 20 people seemed like plenty. With current standards, I can see why the team got so...hm...bloated? Heres hoping Fable 2 is an improvement over the original. Fable was good, but not the revolution I thought it would be.

KaneTaker

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

palehorse — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:44:19 MST

I'll add my thanks for these articles too, Simon. I enjoy a good interview, but it's even more enlightening to see how true the interviewees are to their professed views.

Sometimes an article seems phoned in, or full of cliches like a hockey interview.
Hockey:
"We really worked them in the corners, came up with the puck, and gave 110% all night to win the game."
Videogame:
"We really buckled down in last two months and the team came together really well to deliver an awesome game."

Seeing proof that these people actually believe what they're saying is pretty cool. :)

palehorse

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

BtownDesignGuy — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:18:28 MST

His quote about "the perfect game" reminds me very much of Nolan Bushnell's famous quote about Pong, that I'm sure you've all heard by now: "We needed a game that any drunk in any bar in the world could walk up to and immediately understand how to play it." Or something to that effect.

BtownDesignGuy

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

death_is_the_spice_of_life — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:14:54 MST

that's an incredible retrospective =)

Not many more years before the video game industry devours the film industry =)

just keep waiting ;)

death_is_the_spice_of_life

Ten Years Ago: Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Demis Hassabis

Meldy — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:13:37 MST

These articles are absolutely fascinating. Thanks Simon!

Though kind of disappointed to see Peter wasn't in full-"I-don't-know-when-to-hold-back"-flow.

Meldy