We Showed Peter Molyneux Every Game He's Ever Made

Peter Molyneux walks us through his entire career, from Populous, to Black & White, to Fable.
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Written and presented by Chris Bratt:
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Design and art direction by Anni Sayers:
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#PeterMolyneux #Populous #Fable

[@PeopleMakeGames]

So it turned out Peter didn't own the vast majority of these games himself, which is bonkers! We left the collection with him (apart from the Amiga, thank you very much) and Peter said he'll be making a donation to the UK homelessness charity Shelter as a way of saying thank you to People Make Games.

[@deetsitmeisterjd]

I was rooting for him to keep that frog!

[@MrUkraider]

This is so good Chris, thank you, a real eye opener and a great insight into Peters life and career in video games.

[@kindbutangry]

[@nagualdesign]

Brilliant interviewer, very interesting interviewee. Keep up the good work!

[@theDegausser]

As always, an amazing video. The fact that you gave Peter almost all of what you purchased yourselves just so he could remember his amazing career, and him making a donation like that is just a testament to how great PMG is and why I support you lot. Thank you for amazing games journalism, PMG crew!

[@ardentdrops]

I was really hoping Peter Molyneux was hiding underneath that cloth in the beginning.

[@jaydy71]

Just kiss the frog and it'll turn into Peter Molyneux

[@RichGwilliam]

I was hoping he'd have to tap on it a hundred thousand times to get the cloth off.

[@EspenMoe357]

Molyneux may have overpromised and hyped his games a lot in the past, but damn - some of them were indeed ground breaking, even if they fell a bit short of the hype.

[@Mojo842]

He catches a lot of flack for his overpromising, but the man is obviously very passionate about games. I think he deserves at the very least a bit of credit for all the good that he brought to the gaming world.

[@mikecervi496]

Yeah, the comparison to NMS isn't fair, imo... Molyneux always over-promised, but I always perceived it as what his vision of the game was, and by launch, they couldn't quite make it happen. With NMS there wasn't any gameplay, and he overpromised on that, lied... I never felt that molyneux lied, just couldn't quite get done what he wanted.

[@fil.ecisko4454]

I think that he had to be more concerned with the ground breaking part of the game creation than programing itself. It wouldn't be beneficial timewise and financiallywise if he had to polish to perfection games dealing with brand new mechanics so the best games surely fell short of the hype. I wish fable 1 and dungeon keeper 1 were re-released with slightly improved mechanics which would surely be applied had Molyneux known the real scale of those games.

[@funny_username5090]

I know this comment is months old but there was other people working on these games it wasn't just him

[@Shotblur]

@@mikecervi496 But NMS eventually delivered on its promises. Everything that it was said to have, it eventually would. With Molyneux games, that just never happened.

[@kristianTV1974]

'I owned an Amiga'... 'I didn't actually own an Amiga'. He's evolved, finally learning.

[@MrMalimer]

Peter, we have been talking for 6 minutes!

[@vin-cc9nk]

Peter is a complex figure. Most of the criticism pointed towards him is deserved, but I still admire his out-of-the-box approach to video games a lot.

[@kavasir7042]

@GiRayne I know your comment is a year old, but - What was different about Fable 3 was you took over and it didn't roll credits and you find out why the king was such an asshole to everyone...then it left you with the dilemma of either continuing the predecessors work or trying to appease everyone and possibly leaving your kingdom defenseless. To me that is what is most unique about Fable 3, taking an aspect often overlooked by most of the films and games, it should have had a lot more emphasis and more gameplay spent on leading the kingdom of Albion in my opinion.

[@ZeoWorks]

When I was a kid I always wanted to work for Lionhead Studios, it's such a shame that the studio was shutdown by Microsoft.

[@bespoke6410]

Exactly! Still to this day I’ll never be tired of fable 2, to me that is a benchmark of a perfect game that can be stupid and funny but also still drives feeling without feeling like a complete joke. So excited for the next installment!

[@zackbatcountry3361]

Their is still the new fable that was announced and isn’t the remnants of lion head studios still around ? Coulda swore they bought the rights to fable back from Microsoft few years back

[@ZeoWorks]

@@bespoke6410 It was a wonderful game man. :) A different take on RPGing that just worked better than most imo.

[@ZeoWorks]

@@zackbatcountry3361 A race car game development company took the project on I think. :) I worry it won't be the same since it doesn't have that lionhead love, but who knows!

[@bespoke6410]

@@ZeoWorks I’m sure that company got allot of the people who used to work from lion head studios and with the trailer that scene with the frog eating the fairy, as soon as I saw that it just clicked to me that I knew it was another fable so I’ve got my trust in this and I’ll happy to see what they’ll come out with!!

[@brewedVFX]

I worked at Bullfrog during the development of Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper and Syndicate Wars and I never met Peter, so its nice to know what was happening during my time there and why he was absent.

[@otone7seven]

OH MY GOD. i just want to say thank you so much for Dungeon Keeper. That game will always be part of me. If i ever meet someone that worked in Bullfrog i owe them a drink. Thank you again.

[@mrcyberpunk]

@@seppmaier3424hah

[@SnakerPace]

Smells like shite to me.

[@weasoneofficial2899]

brewedenhell didn't meet him yet the entire dungeon keeper team finished the game inside his house??

[@7rich79]

@@weasoneofficial2899 I'm sure there were more people working at Bullfrog at the time than the team working on Dungeon Keeper.

[@remotecabinstudios]

Fable is one of the most magical experiences I've ever experience. The music, the ambience, the humor, it all just filled me with so much awe wonder as a child. Thank you Lionhead Studios and Peter Molynuex for all of the wonderful adventures!

[@steve228uk]

I love that Chris and Peter synced on outfits.

[@radioactiveknight]

Microsoft really threw Peter Molyneux under the bus with Kinect. Nice to hear him being so humble and open. Completely changed my perception of the man. Cracking piece of journalism.

[@kpjlflsknflksnflknsa]

You're so easily manipulated that you whole opinion of the man changes after barely half an hour of feel good, meticulously scripted trash. He's a conman . End of.

[@runi5413]

I disagree. He just admitted in this interview that he knew Fable the Journey was going to be crap, because the Kinect was a "barely functional" device. Yet when you go back and watch the E3 presentation of that game, he's selling it like it's gonna be the greatest thing ever. That kinda shows his lack of integrity and why he lost his credibility in the gaming world, imo.

[@ScoundrelDaysSon]

@@runi5413 To be fair though that is no different to any large corporate company wanting to make money; they nearly all promise too much and deliver to little. It's just that Molyneux is a very visible target. And, in honesty, Fable: the Journey is a very enjoyable game for what it is (an on rails, arm waving experience) and is certainly the strongest non-party game that appeared on kinect. I would dearly love a, sensibly priced, digital release where the waving was replaced by button prompts just so I could experience that world and story again.

[@jamstonjulian6947]

It IS different from a company doing it, because we all know to be wary of corporate hacks and dodgy publishers. Peter Molyneux was a games designer, we all knew him as a game designer, he counted on people's respect for him and repayed it by repeatedly lying. I don't expect particularly good or even honest service when I go to a large supermarket, but when I go to the local grocer who's been nothing but nice to me i don't expect him to overcharge me for goods. The reason people kept trusting him was because he showed a willingness to create original, inventive games and keep pushing the envelope. Unfortunately he did not know the difference between coming up with an idea and actually implementing it, and he was happy to take us suckers along for the ride with him. Good games or not good games, he ruined their reputation at the time and his own. Without him the games industry would probably be much poorer, but if he'd not been so incompetent maybe he and the many other talented people from his various studios would have been making great games for much longer.

[@VERTiiGOGAMING]

I know he has a history with overhyping and sometimes just flat out lying...but god he is so likeable.

[@akaahri]

And his games were not the ultimate experience, but really good.

[@nw4529]

Random Vert comment

[@shane8037]

I mean now that I know how he got his start it makes a lot of sense. "Yeah mate I can do games they're just like baked beans right."

[@legendarycowboy4077]

That's why he's so good at lying in the first place

[@foxhound1147]

@@akaahri The first Black & White is still one of my favorite games.

[@SpoonOfDoom]

Other journalists: „ARE YOU A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR? SHOULD WE BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN RIGHT NOW?“ Chris: „Hey I brought you a ceramic frog with great symbolic and sentimental value :)“ I love this approach, and I got far more out of this video than any hostile interview could ever give me.

[@AceTycho]

Spoon Of Doom it was great.

[@SteelSkin667]

Chris Bratt is the anti Guru Larry. If you put them in the same room they probably cancel out.

[@porkwoofles3909]

I stopped visiting RPS after that "interview."

[@Gamerad360]

There are quite a few people where how they operate is they have a complete openness about the ideas in their head, and their intentions, but they may not be able to fulfill, their ideal version completely. That being said I'm sure there is some fault on his end too. Take Sean Murry, when he didn't deliver on launch, everyone accused him of being a fraud and scammer, and now the game has 90% of the features he promised.

[@bloodmachine6049]

@@Gamerad360 Molyneux did literally come out on stage multiple times, to say off the cuf things he thought would be cool , and framed it as things that are in the games he was marketing, often without the developers even knowing. It's not only disingenuous and bad to the public, it's actively harmful to the devs. He has worked on some amazing stuff, and I don't think he should be unjustly demonised, but someone actually challenging him is not a bad thing. That said, I honestly really appreciate this kind of a more possitive and insightful video on his games from his perspective. Like, even games that people looks negatively upon now often, like Fable are pretty much fantastic.

[@vin-cc9nk]

Also, just some light critiscism: I'd love to see more footage from the games while they're discussing them. Apart from that, excellent interview!

[@dgollas]

I'm sure fan edits with intercut or overlayed game footage will surface. Internet, do your thing please.

[@davidsantiagoalonso]

agreed... some snippets of gameplay...the game he was holding zoomed in.

[@AvariceOverlord]

I've only played like a handful of them, so yeah some extra context would do wonders.

[@AndyMarchant]

I'd have taken just seeing the box art....

[@MannyTheSaxCat]

this drove me crazy. they did so much work to get these games together and there 's not a single wide shot of all the games. It would've been so easy to do

[@theDegausser]

As always, an amazing video. The fact that you gave Peter almost all of what you purchased yourselves just so he could remember his amazing career, and him making a donation like that is just a testament to how great PMG is and why I support you lot. Thank you for amazing games journalism, PMG crew!

[@Boogieboy138]

Hearing Molyneux talk about his mistakes, kinda made me feel sorry for him. I think he was always so excited and wanted everyone to be just as excited as he was, and his intentions were always in the best place. I don't know, say what you want about the man, I'll always appreciate his games regardless.

[@samarkand1585]

how gullible

[@GamingWithDaleUK]

@@DeReAntiqua CDPR are todays Peter now

[@bradydavis5791]

Well, ok. Good to know you "appreciate" a liar and hack game designer. Fuck. I can't stand comments like this. It's as people like you miss the point entirely and always want to feel sorry for those who play the victim. We should all be honest and call the bullshit out as it is, but the reason why most of us don't is because if we were in Peter's shoes we'd probably lie as much a him.

[@JohnGottschalk]

@@DeReAntiqua shoulda waited for reviews!

[@JohnGottschalk]

@@bradydavis5791 As someone who has worked on games, and been the creative lead on games, I totally understand his position. Talking to a team you have to be reaching to the farthest aspect of the concepts if you want to try and hit on something fresh, fantastic or breath-taking. And that means imagining what it could be. If you asked me during development what was going to be in the game, that was the mindset I'd be in, the mindset I'd have cultivated. Breaking out of it for the reality of the situation would have pulled the wind out of our sails, you can't just look at what it is, you're looking for the extra bits to add and the gaps to fill, and what the experience will be like at the end. So much of games is a smoke screen to get an experience across, many things are a figment in the player's mind. Make the games you want to see, otherwise wait for reviews and don't get salty when someone can't hit their own vision, they're the most frustrated by that already.

[@kv83]

I think Tim Schafer would be a fun person and he’d probably be up for it too

[@Tusks32]

@@Eyefornow we got a joker over here. ha-ha

[@Ragefatha]

A legend of the industry. Dungeon Keeper is among the very best games that I have ever played and it STILL plays like a dream to this day. I've had some great times thanks to Peters work and I thank him and his teams for their efforts.

[@EnriquePage91]

Ragefatha yeah, he always aimed higher than he was able to accomplish but I like a dreamer far more than an EA pawn designer. Besides Fable is still hands down one of my favorite games. Peter Molyneux is a legend

[@xcuu]

Dungeon keeper is one of my favourite games of all time

[@lelxrv]

Peter is a legend. His 90s games were among the most played of mine.

[@SmokeMyBlunt]

Bullfrog def had the most fun and innovative games back then. People calling him a liar need to stfu and take a look in the mirror.

[@Jabrils]

yeah I agree with the point of the movies being a bit too early, I had so much fun with that game haha

[@Stetofire]

My my, our paths cross again!

[@Jabrils]

@@Stetofire you're stalking me. lol

[@ZweepTape]

Really im late but what happened here between you?

[@345tom]

The Movies is still one of my favourite games, I know they didn't say much about it, but I love it. If they made a new one, I'd be in straight away. Watching the auto generated scripts was always funny, and being able to make your own stupid films was great. As they touched upon, I think a few years later, that game would really have taken off.

[@Armaan8014]

It really was an innovative game I think, and I haven't had as much fun with any other game of its sort since.

[@Assimandeli]

Now that's a game that deserves a sequel with all the possible modding abilities.

[@ScoundrelDaysSon]

The Movies and Theme Hospital. I'd be so happy to see true sequels to those!

[@kdogg7882]

I still have the discs somewhere. The worst part is the game is absolutely unplayable on newer versions of Windows and will crash a newer system immediately even in compatibility modes. Loved the game back in the day though.

[@rwentfordable]

@@ScoundrelDaysSon there's Two Point Hospital made by a few who worked on Theme Hospital. It's really great.

[@Werdna343]

Chris, your absolute compassion and dedication to the research is astounding. I watch these as much for the investigation as for the topic. Thank you for what you do!

[@mrsjamescottage]

What a nice bloke. I've only ever heard his words filtered through journalists and bloggers etc and I kind pictured him living in a gigantic castle surrounded by gargoyles and pictures of himself, but he just sounds like a fallible guy who holds himself to very high standards.

[@GabrielAlejandroZorrilla]

That would be Lord British!

[@roflTiMeX]

I remember buying Black&White together with my brother because it cost 80 DMark back then so we had to share the cost. I have many fond memories playing it together as well. Thanks to Peter and his team for making such a brilliant game.

[@PeopleMakeGames]

Ah man, I'm glad this reminded you of that! Important question: what animal did you both pick?

[@roflTiMeX]

@@PeopleMakeGames If I remember correctly I always chose the tiger and my brother the ape. I tried to teach him not to eat people, didn't always work out that well.

[@Clayst]

I clicked on this video out of interest while watching a Peter Molyneux interview, and I can't believe it. I've been trying to find the name of Dungeon Keeper for my entire life. I've had very faint memories of that game since I was extremely young. I never knew how to find it, as there was nothing in my memories I could latch onto to search. And now it's just shown up, I'm genuinely shocked. Thank you for this video, I've been searching for so long.

[@powerfrenzy]

Love listening to Peter talk about things. He should try some narration in his games. Very calming voice. And very interesting history.

[@andrewconnelly5654]

Godus with developer comments enabled was strangely delightful

[@shrinewitch]

This is brilliant. What a great idea for a series! Looking forward to more!

[@doubtfuldog]

I'd like to see one on Roberta Williams from Sierra. This was great!

[@DeoMachina]

I was somehow given Dungeon Keeper when I was like, 8. My favourite unit was the Mistress and only now am I making the connection between this and the kinds of girlfriends I've had THANKS FOR THE SEXUALITY, PETER MOLYNEUX

[@NoahCross1]

I'm not a big Molyneux fan, but at one point I wholeheartedly agree: The Movies was awesome, and it arrived too early to make the impact that it should have had. My cousin and I were in our late teens when we discovered it, and we spent whole weekends making silly movies, editing and dubbing them. It was sold as a movie-mogul sim, but it's simplified yet varied approach to composing films is probably to this day the most accessible and enjoyable way to making them. I have an MFA in film making now, I can honestly say that making even the smallest film is a huge endeavor and most of us filmmakers will never get to work with explosions, car chases and the like. The Movies did something great, it put that power in my hands without any hassle. Though it could never come close to actually letting me have my own way with expensive scenes, it is still the closest I'll probably ever get to making them. And for letting me do that I'll love this game forever. Sadly its graphics are already dated and it'll be hard to ever convince anyone to play it today or even watch films made in it. Still I wish in the future Molyneux or someone else will manage to pick up where The Movies left off and give people the ability to make their own films easily and joyfully. I'll always be thankful to Molyneux and his crew, both for allowing me to dream and for all those fun times I spent with my cousin (though no one ever liked our films but us.)

[@marcushilsdorf1118]

The Movies is one of Machinima's most incredible tools at the time, and probably even today. I produced many shorts in the Sand Box for years, and I couldn't exhaust all the possibilities for interchangeable scenes. I suspect that Lionshead herself had no idea of the full potential of making shorts. Even today, it has a dedicated and friendly community. An immense loss to not have had a continuation with more updated graphics.

[@PlotlinePlus]

Peter Molyneux seeing a ceramic frog for the first time in 30 years is one of the most wholesome things I've ever seen. Edit: Just got to his policy on crunch. He definately just earned some respect points from me.

[@gammywhammy]

Please please please tell me he's against crunch

[@tams805]

@@gammywhammy Watch before you comment.

[@MemoriesAreLost]

Sometimes crunch is good, like in a bowl of cereal. Being anti-crunch in all aspects of life would be wrong... No one wants soggy cereal.

[@PlotlinePlus]

@@MemoriesAreLost Going by your analogy this is akin to my boss handing me a bowl of cereal with metal beads in it. Telling me, if I want to keep my job *it would probably be a good idea to eat that cereal*. And then when I inevitably chip my teeth, get sick and throw up all over my computer, I get blamed. Also, I'm not in a union. So whoops.

[@frankb5728]

SPOILERS MUCH

[@Schmuni]

Pulling a Nardwuar on the man, i see.

[@brianwbuller]

Keep on rocking in the free world and doot doola doot doo...

[@corndoug2605]

@@brianwbuller doot doot!

[@VitaKet]

Did yall really just go the entire video without showing off the lineup of games you had on the table... Anyway, literally grew up with this mans work. He is a legend.

[@stenbuck_]

I miss Peter. Could listen to him all day.

[@realdragonrude]

say what you want about the man but fable and fable 2 were some of the best times ever i mean i can still go back to fable 1 and 2 and remain engaged in what it offers

[@ScoundrelDaysSon]

And I still think 3 is underrated, frankly. It's genuinely one of my favourite series overall. I think 3 genuinely suffered because of the backlash toward Molyneux that seemingly peaked during that period. It's still a blindingly enjoyable game. I'm seriously stoked at the idea that Playground might be working on a fourth game in the series, mind; they are a seriously talented team.

[@Quemaqua]

I always liked Peter. I think a lot of the reason he gets so much criticism is ... well, partly deserved, but mostly because people don't understand how difficult game development actually is. Cool video ... only criticism is it would have been nice to have a camera behind the games so we could see what was being pointed at (plus see some of those really cool boxes). I'd love to see some lower-profile people on something like this, maybe like Alexis Kennedy or Derek Yu, some indie scene folks. I've seen and read about most of the big names at various points and don't really feel the need to retread that ground, though I'm sure a personal conversation like this would be awesome and add a lot to it (kudos for finding all those games, it was such a cool nostalgia trip). Obviously the big names have a lot more ground to cover, so if you're strictly going for those deeper nostalgia cuts, maybe someone like Roberta Williams, who's been retired for a while, or Chris Avellone, who's worn so many different hats.

[@YourPalHDee]

Well the biggest problem is, he used to say things had already been achieved on games in development that simply was not true and by release he would just act like he'd never said that or that they decided not to do it for design reasons. Honesty is pretty important in PR and Molyneux was rarely honest. The first video I ever saw for Fable was Molyneux saying that they'd built a system where your right arm and left arm Will level up separately depending on how often you use them, how often you successfully land hits and what type of attacks you do. When the game came out the character was permanently right handed and there was only 1 melee attack button.

[@jamstonjulian6947]

You're right most people don't understand how difficult games development actually is, and Peter is one of these people. That's why he was constantly promising things his poor designers and programmers didn't even know about and then expecting them to deliver miracles.

[@oldhedders]

This was tremendous. More like this please. I don't know if it's feasible, but I bet a video in this style with Jeff Minter would be absolutely fascinating.

[@evhum]

Still hoping for a Black & White 3 based on the gameplay of the original. Maybe as a 22Cans project in the 2020s?

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

man i'd love that Black and White 1 was one of my favorite games growing up

[@adamplenty1645]

If there is ever to be a Black & White 3, 22Cans will have nothing to do with it ☹. Copyright 😡. Same for Dungeon Keeper 3. The very best we can hope for from 22Cans or Two Point Studios are spiritual sequels (like Two Point Hospital).

[@TommyLikeTom]

I have played Black and White 1 every year since I was about 14. I only beat the game for the first time last year, and I beat it using a method that isn't explicitly laid out anywhere: enchanting boulders with dancing villagers and placing them in new towns repeatedly. Don't wait for black and white 3, just go download black and white 1. It runs just as well, if not better, than it did back in the day.

[@evhum]

@@TommyLikeTom I love the game as much as you do but after beating it 5 times and doing every side quest in the game it gets old. I wish there's more content (a new story, new islands, up to date graphics) with the amazing gameplay of B&W1.

[@mrcyberpunk]

did you learn nothing from Godus people.. I mean seriously.

[@111skipton]

This is the kind of games programme we need on TV. Excellent work.

[@WindBendsSteel]

"For what reason would you make a role-playing game, and not try to make it the best role-playing game of all time?" That's wisdom right there. (hear that Bethesda?)

[@Ash_Hudson]

Are you saying Bethesda haven't made amazing RPG's?

[@GabrielAlejandroZorrilla]

Mostly, time and money.

[@tessaN64]

Wow they had the wrong company? Thats crazy!

[@PeopleMakeGames]

I hope Torus also got taken out for lunch at some point too...

[@moogsi]

@@PeopleMakeGames I actually wondered if Torus or the people behind it got anywhere.

[@MrTheedarkhorse]

We may not have heard of him, had it not happened

[@ValveSpecial]

Hilarious: so he was always blagging it from the very start! 😂

[@core-nix1885]

@@PeopleMakeGames I think they got taken out for donuts. ;) Sorry, I'm talking a load of bull. ;)

Kind of waited for a mention of Theme Hospital. Next to the Dungeon Keeper series it was my favourite Bullfrog game.

[@robnixon6305]

Stunning well done guys. Black and White is still one of my favourite games. I have a lot of respect for Peter Molyneux, his passion is infectious.

[@borismuller86]

Rob Nixon would be amazing to see it remastered and even ported to the Switch.

[@Lucky_AL]

I can‘t believe you were able to track the games down and have a chat with the great master himself! Just recently revisited Fable TLC, what an epic of a game! A shame Fable III isn‘t playable anymore since the servers are down! And as a Playstation guy, I was never able to play Fable II... Keep the show up, just now got notice of your existence! ❤️

[@pmacfto]

Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick... Great interview and impressive dedication to the job getting all of those games and the bullfrog. Love your content (as an older gamer who played almost all of these back to Populous!)

[@slowlymakingsmoke]

This just popped up in my feed. What an awesome interview. A great way to get an insight into a person. I have a much better understanding of Peter and his work. Well done.

[@jamesmoorehead4412]

Fantastic episode! It was really nice to learn some of the history behind some of those games and Peter himself. Really nice format as well, would definitely love to see more. :) Honestly you guys do a great job with this stuff. Since learning about it, I've always looked forward to your uploads. Keep up the great work :)

[@MarksMarbleRacing]

Got to meet Peter at a PCW show in London and then played Populous against one of the programmers and won. Wish Populous was available on Phone/Tablet!

[@Unplanted]

Great interview and I hope Peter Molyneux makes another hit in the future. I loved his early game Black & White.

[@harrydavey9884]

He won't. Like a true modern conman, he's getting in on the NFT nonsense.

[@bilgeratbozza1090]

I love Peter molyneux and no amount of hatred over his passion will sway my opinion

[@PlotlinePlus]

Some of the actual criticism as opposed to hate is definately warranted. But the man's legacy is undeniable. A little to ambitious for his own good (and those he worked with). But man... That ambition shouldn't go unappreciated.

[@YourPalHDee]

It's not hatred over his passion. He's outright lied multiple times about what's been achieved in his games. I like his passion, it's admirable. But you don't get to go up and lie to your audience and come out unschathed.

[@mrcyberpunk]

@@YourPalHDee not just lied. Scammed and ripped off people. The kid that won that curiosity prize was publicly humiliated because of Godus. And his co-workers at Bullforg say iffy things about him. His selling of Bullfrog to EA is one of the most unforgivable acts he has ever done.

[@ScoundrelDaysSon]

@@mrcyberpunk Can I be a pain and ask you to tell me about the kid you mentioned as I've never heard of it?

[@mrcyberpunk]

@@ScoundrelDaysSon Bryan Henderson was his name, there's a lot of interviews with him where he explains the situation. I feel really bad for him and I would like to see justice for him. Molyeneux apologised to him but completely lied about him fixing the problem, it was a fake apology as usual.

[@Teadon86]

"Hello, I'm in Peter Molyneux's dining room. I-I-I'm supposed to be here . . . ." Smooth.

[@fredslipknot9]

This channel has made some of the best videos I've ever seen on KZbin, and this is no different. Thank you!

[@minutehistory3032]

I never heard of Peter Molyneux before, but I can always appreciate an interview where somebody has done his homework!

[@amylouise3798]

Excellent video. So fascinating to chart a whole career and to see Peter reflecting on both his successes and his failures. I understand his regrets with The Movies, although I still had a lot of fun with that game!

[@yourcommander3412]

Such candid and great interview. Thanks !

[@LukeAndromedaNebular]

Thank you for this interview. Very interesting interview. I am a fan of Peter. I saw him one time in the 90s live in Berlin talking about games on a game fair. He is a very innovative game designer. He released so many cool games like Populous, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate, ... Other companies like EA releasing every year the same games with only few updates. You should ask Peter what he was thinking about VR and if he was thinking to release a game for VR.

[@Naughtydudedavid]

I liked this video and some of the "behind the scenes" episodes, I wish it could be longer and focused more on the "bullfrog" era, like populous the beginning. That is still a masterpiece 20 years later.

[@TheBendixSA]

Peter is a good person he just gets way to excited about these things and starts to over hype and over promise...that is as much a good thing as a terribly bad thing all at the same time...

[@harrydavey9884]

I recognise this guy as compulsive liar. I've know 4 of them in my life and it's hard to say whether they're good or bad people. I'd say they don't see truth as relative to their moral compass, which makes them morally skewed at best. The problem is when somebody is willing to lie without thinking through the consequences, their intent is irrelevant because lying will always eventually bring about a bad outcome for somebody.

[@xlittlep]

I am going to be wearing a joyful grin on my face deep into the weekend as a result of this video. Thank you Chris! Congratulations on all the hard work.

[@mythicdale8757]

Peter is an underrated designer. His reputation proceeds him for the worse but he is a very humble, down to earth guy who leads with innovation and creativity. As someone who has design/development credits I totally understand the notion of selling an idea to your team, and then that spilling over to PR. Until a game is finished, they are unbridled forms of potential and greatness. Keeping that flame alight over weeks of crunch and arguments is a skill.

[@LeShark75]

Brilliant Video. Loved the games of Peter Molyneux through thick and thin.

[@mynar_lenahan]

I must say, I loved The Movies and the Fable games. Both are some of my favourite games as a kid.

[@rhysj170]

This is a great idea for a series, Chris! My suggestion is to interview Mike Dailly and Russel Kay from DMA Design who did Blood Money, Menace ,Walker, Lemmings and the original Grand Theft Auto. They're in Dundee so not too far to go if travel cost is an issue...but still alot further than Peter in Guildford

[@cardyfreak]

This guy was responsible for so many of the awesome games from my childhood. Populous, powermonger, dungeon keeper, syndicate, theme hospital, theme park, black and white, the dude just produced gold :)

[@dirtywashedupsparkle]

Populous! We loved that game. So glad you made his day, and so generous to give him the collection, amazing.

[@nathangabrielmusician]

I am always genuinely excited to see ANYTHING new from Peter. Thanks PMG!

[@TheFableHistorian]

This is an excellent interview! I always love hearing what he has to say. (Also, at least he acknowledges that he says things that don't make it into the final product. gg Peter.)

[@ladybucket9798]

black & white is one of the few games which is very, very dear to me. i still remember when i waited until my mum went to bed so i could sneak out at night into the computer room to play some more black & white. i either turned the sound off so i wouldnt get caught or i turned the volume on 1 or 2 and put the loud speaker between me and the keyboard so i could hear at least a little bit of sound. yeah, i got caught many times and was sent to bed but it was absolutely worth it. i have fond memories playing black & white for hours upon hours. no newer game can capture me anymore like older games could. they might have better graphics and so on but they are lacking the most important thing - a heart. thank you for the fabulous games and great memories they brought.

[@DenisRyan]

This was wonderful! Thank you for making this!

[@NotSoMax]

God this is so relentlessly wholesome I love it. He seems so genuine and excited, honestly I never understood the hate for him overhyping his games, it seemed he was just really excited about features he envisioned and dreamed of as all developers are, just sometimes we have to make concessions for the reality of what we can do. His “lies” always seemed to come from a place of excitement and ambition even if he couldn’t always deliver on every promise. I’d love to see more of these videos. It was honestly so incredibly wonderful

[@harrydavey9884]

Well because lying is wrong and he's done it so many times that it's past the point of giving the benefit of doubt. There has to be a point where you draw the line with people who lie compulsively. He caught himself doing it right at the start of the video about owning an Amiga. It doesn't mean he's necessarily vindictive or "a bad person" but it does mean he's not trustworthy and whether intentional or not, his lies have caused bad outcomes.

[@AOHarness]

This was excellent, Chris. It makes me sad how much Peter puts himself down.

[@Jigsawtwig]

To be fair he's made A LOT of mistakes in his career. He's certainly had some success, but there's been a lot of broken promises and lies.

[@ScoundrelDaysSon]

@Jean Jacque Lundi I partly agree. But, and it's big but, deliberately lying about features to build hype and generate sales is a fundamental breaking of the contract between the seller and the purchaser. It's not about being entitled, it's understanding that consumer protection exists for a reason and when folks outright lie during promotion (Sean Murray being an absolute prime example) it is absolutely toxic given that the potential purchaser deserves honest descriptions of the functionality of the thing they're purchasing. That said I do think Molyneux is an easy target when really you're dealing with a culture of business bending, molding, and breaking, the truth in order to con folks in to purchasing their products - it is endemic, and ssdly rewarded, in our current system. A video game designer doing it is nothing compared to, for example, what the asbestos or cigarette companies did. And I'll defend Molyneyx games because whatever he promised, they're still - as a majority - fantastic pieces of work. The Movies, the Fable series, the 'Theme' series, Black and White etc are all very good whatever the difference between what he promised and what was delivered.

[@jamstonjulian6947]

I think you're being a bit extreme here. The whole reason people ended up turning on Peter was because they DID love his passion and they DID love many of his games, or at least the ideas that were at their core, and that fondness people had for him and that belief that each time he would hopefully deliver something close to what he promised was gradually chipped away. It's not about entitlement. If he was making free games it would be entitlement. If people paid money or even worse backed a kickstarter for something that was half of what had been promised, they have a right to be a bit pissed and to view his career with a degree of cynicism. I don't think the guy deserves any abuse or hatred, he seems well-intentioned, but even a well-intentioned scam is still a scam. I think he's been dragged through the coals and has realised the mistakes he made, but that doesn't mean we should now be revisionist and view him as some sort of noble visionary who just wanted to make people happy. In all honesty, it's not the gamers I care about, it's the designers and programmers that had to try and implement his impossible ideas and deal with his constant whims. I've worked with people like Molyneux, who have all the ideas and take people along with them on a wonderful journey only to pull the rug under them before moving on to the next hair-brained scheme. I honestly have no hate towards the guy, I rarely played his games, but it annoys me that he has defined this narrative that he created these games that plenty of other talented people worked very hard on. There will always be dreamers in life, and then there will be those more practical people that have to convert those dreams into reality. Peter needed his programmers and designers just as they needed his brilliant ideas. Both deserve credit.

[@Giga-lemesh]

This was an amazing video. Black & White was a massive favourite of mine when I was young, and fable 2 when I was a bit older, so hearing the creator talk about these games that have had such a big impact on me was incredible

[@Red_Rabbit]

What a terrific interview. Fantastic to see a thoughtful conversation and walk down memory lane with Peter Molyneux, and always been a fan of Chris as a presenter. A few suggestions of interesting potential interviewees (possibly all UK-based, unless anyone's relocated?): * Matthew Smith (Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy, etc) * Geoff Crammond (The Sentinel, Stunt Car Racer, GrandPrix series, etc) * Julian Gollop (Chaos, Laser Squad, UFO: Enemy Unknown, Phoenix Point, etc) * Richard Garriott (Ultima series, BioForge, etc) * Demis Hassabis (Black & White, Republic: The Revolution, Evil Genius, etc) * Steve Jackson (The Fighting Fantasy books and co-founder of Games Workshop - not to be confused with the American games designer of the same name!)

[@Kinduci]

I'd love to see a similar film for Geoff Crammond

[@andyrushent251]

RIP Bullfrog. One of the first studios to be cannibalised by EA...

[@drsyn9136]

aye, but man they put out some cracking games

[@swurviie]

Brilliant work Chris! You can tell Peter was delighted by all this, love it.

[@MikMaio]

"The Trail" Was the best experience I've ever had on mobile. Played it for something like 3 weeks and dropped it off but I have only genuine and lovely memories of it. I just felt like I needed to say that!

[@quentincompson2181]

Thanks Chris, so good. Always great to hear from Peter, he's a rare example of an Actual Human Being in the games industry, with all the flaws and contradictions we all have that are usually smoothed over by PR... and I think his passion just carries him away. The idea that he's in any way malicious is dispelled every minute you spend with him here. Thanks and for suggestions for the future - Kojima?!

[@harrydavey9884]

The man is a compulsive liar as far as I can tell. So, I disagree that he has all the flaws and contradictions that the rest ot us have. I don't believe he's got bad intentions, but he's still lied to his supporters again and again and again. That's certainly not something I can relate to personally. Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy.

[@casperes0912]

Peter seems like quite a nice bloke. He’s gotten a lot of criticism. Rightfully in a lot of way. But he seems like a sympathetic bloke. His games were never really for me; or well, not after black and white 2 anyway. But he’s passionate and seemingly kind. And he sounds like he values the workforce. He deserves credit for that.

[@stratospherica]

Yeah, he seems like a really nice guy, but he just has a tendency to get carried away with telling everyone about his ideas before they're actually pinned down, is what I get from him.

[@BenWGray]

@@stratospherica No, he's just a liar.

[@Soundole]

This was so wholesome, I really enjoyed this retrospective. It was very interesting to hear Peter speak with such candour about his work.

[@JoeDP25]

That was genuinely really interesting and some valuable messages to be gleaned from Peter's story for sure. Keep up the good work Chris, you're blazing a trail!

[@shrui]

I'm sure Eurogamer could buy that Amiga off you for some classic Late To The Party! ;) Loved the video, is a very nice idea. It was great how open Peter was about his past successes and mistakes.

[@kranklg2s]

Really enjoyed this! There's a lot of interesting people out there, for sure. *Warren Spector* helped define a whole generation of gaming (along with Harvey Smith, Church, and Neurath - and of course his old Ion Storm friends Romero & Hall). *Chris Avellone* would also be extremely interesting (and probably immensly funny), since he (for me) is the face and voice of another genre (alongside Brian Fargo, perhaps) - and has since then become not only one of the best writer and quest designer in the industry, but also one of the most recognized. I was really surprised when he showed up and annonced Dying Light 2 because I never associated him with that type of game. So yeah, if you want to find the most interesting people I'm not sure you could top those two ^^ EDIT: OK, maaaybe Ron Gilbert but he seems pretty grumpy :P Tim Schafer would just end up being the same video as this one since he and his studio have had their fair share of controversy.

[@tehf00n]

Joffa Smith is a forgotten hero of games, except to the few.

[@frankb5728]

Ron Gilbert just looks grumpy, he gets stuff done, unlike Tim Schafer who just day dreams

[@kranklg2s]

No doubt he gets things done. But he can be a bit grumpy as well. But I think he's a bit shy tbh.

[@jimmynyman]

I've always taken Peters interviews as passion about a project, not once as promises. Manage your own expectations and do a bit of thinking about whats possible yourself. It makes for a much more interesting interview and it paints a picture of a designer thats all the way passionate about the game when you lay your unfiltered feelings on the table as Peter does. And thats why I hold him higher than any game designer I can think of. Being butthurt about the fact that not absolutely everything on a checklist is in a video game you buy however paints a perfect picture of the immaturity of the many gaming fanbases out there that tend to take ownership of another persons creative work.

[@1234aabc]

Props for this one, Chris and team. Fascinating heading a candid insight into such a large industry history. Too often the truth is hidden due to fear of contracts, but Molyneux's comfort with wanting to talk about the past and explain away some mistakes was a breath of fresh air. Can't wait for more!

[@chrissavory1858]

He is such a lovely man and fabulous designer. Excellent work on this video, loved it from start to finish.

[@MrHuppj]

Man I grew up on his games, populous, Magic Carpet, Black and White, and of course the Fables. I was enraptured with Magic Carpet. To me it was a groundbreaking and amazing game.

[@tylereikenberg9651]

This was such a fascinating video. Can't wait to see more of these!

[@MrCaotico666]

This is so precious. Thank you a lot for this

[@jimmytwo3998]

This is lovely . You’re a lovely young man . Populous was wonderful

[@nightcatarts]

Thanks; fascinating insights & thanks too for continuing to go the extra mile. I think the moment he said "I don't want to stand up" may have been your cue to get him a chair though..

[@PeopleMakeGames]

Oh god, you're probably right. We were filming for almost two hours.

[@nightcatarts]

@@PeopleMakeGames Hah. I'm sure he was fine; you were keeping him well distracted the whole time.

[@DrVagax]

Really glad you just made him tell his story, great to hear how open he is and how he self reflects on the past (and accepts his mistakes)

[@quinkin1000]

Awesome. You did the set up well and things went well from there. For me the vid one of those good surprises that are too rare. Subscribed.

[@Palendrome]

I have known about Peter since the first Fable game. Though I've been dissapointed by how some games have turned out, I've never understood the vitriol for Peter. He's just a really passionate guy. Godus situation seemed bad but things happen, if I remember right the guy doesn't hate Peter

[@Nostriales]

Because he outright lied about what some of the games could/would do. I understand over-promising, but outright lying to consumers is generally a bad idea

[@davidmurray3542]

The main issue with Godus was how it was never properly finished - it was a successfully kickstarted but development was effectively abandoned with many promised features still missing. They even released Godus Wars (a separate multiplayer version, also now abandoned) and quite recently a mobile port, but have never addressed the situation for the original backers and early access purchasers. I didn't know the full story myself until quite recently, but it's a lot worse than it seems on the surface, from what I've read! That's even leaving aside the promised royalties that were never given for the kid who "won" Curiosity.

[@Palendrome]

Godus was definitely a bad mark, but I can't help but still feel sympathy for Peter. Perhaps wrong of me

[@Cenot4ph]

fuck that, this doesnt just happen. you take money from people and then you use that to deliver something else entirely. It's unethical and there are no 2 ways about it.

[@thijsvandercaaij5968]

Am I the only one distracted by the sad clock?

[@TorQueMoD]

Awesome video! Thanks for posting. I always love hearing from game devs.

[@GunnarClovis]

Absolutely fantastic! This is a great concept and a wonderful execution. I look forward to seeing more of these!

[@MarvinV180]

Great video keep doing what you're doing, I'd love to see Cliff Bleszinski The Games I Made.

[@PeopleMakeGames]

I've interviewed Cliffyb once before back when I was working at Eurogamer. He remains the only interviewee I've had who asked to check how he looked on the camera before we began the interview. I can respect that.

[@MarvinV180]

@@PeopleMakeGames ha ha ha really lol

[@AnarchonAustria]

next one:Sid Meier ;-)

[@atfruitbat]

So many interesting anecdotes, and such a lot of lovely nostalgia. Great video! Well done.

[@edwardnewtonLA]

This is such a good idea for a series. Not only does it afford us the opportunity to see a gamedev relating to their own work in a tangible way - it also really demonstrates just how exhaustive and sincere your research is on these creators. I know these won't come often, but if I wasn't already subscribed, I'd be subscribed now. I want to take a time machine to 15 years from now and see your episode with Edmund McMillen.