Peter Molyneux Is Not Retiring Any Time Soon

Greg Tito

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Sep 29, 2005
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Peter Molyneux Is Not Retiring Any Time Soon



He plans to keep making games until he dies.

A few weeks ago, Peter Molyneux gave an interview in which he was quoted as saying the next game was making could be his last one [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120575-Peter-Molyneux-Plans-Only-One-More-Game] if he kept tinkering with it. From those words, it was totally possible to interpret that Molyneux believed he only had one good game left in the tanks. He's not a young fellow, so the story made sense that he wanted his return to the god game genre with Godus to be his swan song. After asking Molyneux point blank whether he planned to retire, he said that was all wrong.

"I was talking about how the philosophy of making games is different now," Molyneux said. "When you make a game and release it, you don't finish the development you just continue the development, you keep enhancing it and updating it."

Given that, he went to say, "it's conceivable that I can make a game and then never finish the game, and it could be my last game." He looked at other games and the models they've been working under for the last few years of game development. World of Warcraft essentially being the same game even though it's been adapted and changed for 8 years. "If you look at Minecraft and what they do is they've been working on it for a very long time and it's still evolving and changing and getting better," he said.

Somehow the way he expressed that idea was transformed into Molyneux announcing retirement, but he told me that's just not the case.

"I'll retire when I die," he said. "Or when people tell me to shut up, I guess."

For more on my discussion with Peter Molyneux where he talks about how frightened he still is of failure, check out the write up of my interview on Godus here. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/interviews/10086-Peter-Molyneux-Is-Terrified]

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EightGaugeHippo

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Apr 6, 2010
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Peter Molyneux once again exaggerates the truth.
Hardly shocking.

[Edit]
Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not hating.
I like his games. He just hypes them far beyond what they are, but he's a good enough guy and I respect him.
 

dyre

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Mar 30, 2011
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EightGaugeHippo said:
Peter Molyneux once again exaggerates the truth.
Hardly shocking.
I wanted to say that, but I think I can actually believe that he plans to continue making games until he dies. He's nothing if not passionate!
 

The White Hunter

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Oct 19, 2011
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Greg Tito said:
"Or when people tell me to shut up, I guess."
Shut up Peter.

OT: Honestly I haven't played enough of his games to have an opinion on them but he does seem to genuinely love what he does so why would he stop?
 

elilupe

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Jun 1, 2009
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Oh Peter, I love you. I know there are a lot of Molyneux haters around these parts, but I'll keep following his work for as long as I can. If this were any other game dev, I would think they were backpedaling here, but with him, you just know he really is going to make games for literally as long as he can, and not for the money, but because he loves it.
 

Nihlus2

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Feb 8, 2011
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He promises things he can't deliver at times, he aims way too high and have got to backpedal, that is why I cannot take any promises he says seriously. BUT, and this is a big but (hush!), at least he seems to have the heart in the right place and the passion set on the games he make.
And that's something very encouraging to see, so good on him for continuing. You may be a bit of a thorn in my side Peter for letting Fable: TLC degenerate that much with the sequels, but at least you try out of passion, which is more than I can say for a lot of other games.
 

Blind Sight

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May 16, 2010
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I can raise plenty of complaints about the quality of his products, but my god I just love his child-like enthusiasm. I would love to see more developers share this attitude, but perhaps not his often too lofty goals. I mean, aim high, but not as high as Molyneux does. Perhaps a half Molyneux or three-quarters Molyneux.
 

TheLazyGeek

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Nov 7, 2009
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Blind Sight said:
I can raise plenty of complaints about the quality of his products, but my god I just love his child-like enthusiasm. I would love to see more developers share this attitude, but perhaps not his often too lofty goals. I mean, aim high, but not as high as Molyneux does. Perhaps a half Molyneux or three-quarters Molyneux.
Exactly! I absolutely admire his enthusiasm for game development and if he could bring "it" down a few levels to something manageable he could do something really great I think. I still enjoy the games he's had a hand in creating, even if they didn't deliver on a lot of the goals.

On the topic of continually developing and enhancing a single game over making squeals or other games, I think that could work for certain games, maybe MMOs? I would like to see an attempt at it for sure.
 

Best of the 3

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Oct 9, 2010
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To be fair, I like a lot of what Molyneux does, flaws and all. Most of his games are charming and have a sense of personality about them. It's funny, his games are some of the most disappointing, yet at the same time gain some of my highest compliments.

I hope he does keep working on games. Eventually I think he will make something that is just as grand as he makes out to be. And even if he doesn't at least it'll be fun just to see what the man says.
 

Spygon

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May 16, 2009
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Molyneux is the crazy innovator the games industry really needs so fair play to him
 

Baresark

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Dec 19, 2010
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Eh, I have mixed feelings on the subject. I mean, go for it, make games till the day you die. Game making is the type of career that has no age limit. It's not working in the steel mill. It's game making, a chiefly sedentary endeavor that only requires an active mind. You can do that till you die. That said, I don't really care what he makes because I'm not investing or buying. I like his passion, I haven't liked his games in a long time.
 

Olrod

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Feb 11, 2010
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Greg Tito said:
"I'll retire when I die," he said. "Or when people tell me to shut up, I guess."
We've been telling you to shut up ever since you released the beta version of Fable 2, but you've just had your fingers in your ears going "la-la-la I can't hear you!".

So we'll tell you again: SHUT UP!
 

Preacher zer0

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Jun 13, 2010
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"My new game is going to have a revolutionary new system we call Player Directed Conflict Resolution. The player presses a button on the controller and the onscreen character will strike an enemy with a weapon... in the next game we hope to allow the player to use what we call Conflict Resolution Tool Assignment which will allow the player to actually determine what Conflict Resolution Tool to apply in any given situation."

Pete describes combat and equipping weapons in his new game... which is revolutionary by the way.

Funny thing is, despite all the let downs, hot air and general bull he comes out with... I kinda like him.
He's a character y'know, good ol' Pete blowing crap again lol, that kind of thing.
He's been in the industry so long it wouldn't be the same without him and in fairness, he has done some cool stuff.
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
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Olrod said:
Greg Tito said:
"I'll retire when I die," he said. "Or when people tell me to shut up, I guess."
We've been telling you to shut up ever since you released the beta version of Fable 2, but you've just had your fingers in your ears going "la-la-la I can't hear you!".

So we'll tell you again: SHUT UP!
Who's "we"? I've been shouting "KEEP 'EM COMING" non-stop for the past eight years.

So, Peter,

KEEP 'EM COMING!

OT: Cool. I like Molyneux's projects.
 

PrinceOfShapeir

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Mar 27, 2011
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I'm glad. Peter Molyneux is a likable guy and honestly I've always enjoyed his games despite their rampant flaws. He needs to find work for a company that's a little more grounded, somewhere where he can be the Crazy Ideas guy. Put him in some by the numbers studio that does good work but is pretty unimaginative and see what he can do with it.