Molyneux: Projects Need To De-Risk

Logan Westbrook

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Feb 21, 2008
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Molyneux: Projects Need To De-Risk


Lionhead boss and creative director for Microsoft Game Studios Peter Molyneux says that the gaming industry has a lot to learn about handling risks.

Peter Molyneux believes that developers and publishers need to learn how to 'de-risk' projects to make them more attractive to investors: "If that means doing user research before you kick off a project, making demos or flavor videos, or locking people in a room and brainstorming them until they understand the concept in order to take that element of risk away - so be it," he said.

Molyneux thinks that developers need to have a very clear message when they look for investment. "If you want to create something, invent something, do something new, then you've got to realize you're investors need to have the comfort to make that investment."

He uses the television industry as an example of an industry that knows how to handle risky ventures, citing the show Dexter as one that seems like a hard sell on paper, and yet has gone on to receive critical acclaim and win numerous awards. "You can look at [The TV] industry. It costs millions of dollars to make the shows, but they can still make a series about a mass murderer, or undertakers, or whatever you decide to choose and make them a success."

Source: GamesIndustry.Biz [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/do-whatever-it-takes-to-de-risk-projects-molyneux]


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v3n0mat3

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Jul 30, 2008
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He's right. Though he really needs to learn from his own mistakes. Like Fable 2 for example. The gameplay itself is great, no doubt. However, the risks he took to make his game different than the last sorta bit him on the ass, imo.

*EDIT* It does seem like I'm bashing the game, but I'm not. My complaints were I found a way to make my character virtually unstoppable right off the bat and the ending...
 

Proteus214

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Jul 31, 2009
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I know Molyneux can be one of those people that you love to hate, but he really hit the nail on the head. If we want to see any new creative content in the future of games, there needs to be better risk management. The analogy to the TV industry is spot on. Interesting shows can still be made even when it seems like there isn't much creativity out there.
 

RebelRising

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While I'm not a fan of his games, I still hold him in high regard for a mindset such as this. He's not in it for money, but he really seems like someone who has great ideas and wants to fulfill them.

His TV argument is a pretty valid one, even though many good and unique shows are canceled because they're not successful; I guess making sure that the game, from most if not all angles, comes across as a good investment and a good game to watch out for.
 

happysock

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He makes a fair point I just wish he'd do it with his own games instead of promising things for his gamers that he cannot keep.
 

HardRockSamurai

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THIS, coming from the guy who claimed he'd created COMPUTERIZED LIFE at E3 (it's called Project Milo, look it up.)

I just hope he takes his own advice before he shoots himself in the foot again.
 

KDR_11k

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Feb 10, 2009
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Should be noted that removing risk doesn't mean doing what everybody else is doing. That's low risk in the naive interpretation, after all you're doing something that has a proven and well developed market but when you think about it you're going up against extremely strong competition and one error can already doom your whole project. It's a better idea to make something that isn't already heavily covered, while that means you'll have to take the extra mile of researching whether customers actually want that you'll have a far easier time to stand out and can often sell more despite offering a lower quality product (you should never be comfortable that your game will always be top quality) compared to what's on offer in other markets because there's nothing else like it. Done properly it'll let you dominate a segment of the market (by default) and reap massive profits, done improperly can end up running you into a hole of no demand.

Go where noone else is going, if you strike gold you get to keep it all. But make sure to scout first, wasting a whole mining operation to dig out nothing but dirt is costly. Research is cheap in comparison but it's not trivial and shouldn't be dismissed.
 

ChromeAlchemist

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Aug 21, 2008
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Hm. Mr Hyperbole himself actually makes a good point. I guess if anything he isn't inept, he just gets ahead of himself a bit too much.

KDR_11k said:
Should be noted that removing risk doesn't mean doing what everybody else is doing. That's low risk in the naive interpretation, after all you're doing something that has a proven and well developed market but when you think about it you're going up against extremely strong competition and one error can already doom your whole project. It's a better idea to make something that isn't already heavily covered, while that means you'll have to take the extra mile of researching whether customers actually want that you'll have a far easier time to stand out and can often sell more despite offering a lower quality product (you should never be comfortable that your game will always be top quality) compared to what's on offer in other markets because there's nothing else like it. Done properly it'll let you dominate a segment of the market (by default) and reap massive profits, done improperly can end up running you into a hole of no demand.

Go where noone else is going, if you strike gold you get to keep it all. But make sure to scout first, wasting a whole mining operation to dig out nothing but dirt is costly. Research is cheap in comparison but it's not trivial and shouldn't be dismissed.
Agreed. However I think developers don't seem to realise this, and they don't seem to think that original idea means go in the most obscure direction possible, and when that doesn't work, it ends up meaning that original concepts don't work.

Sometimes they don't even need to go where no one else is going. They can go somewhere where everyone has been but do it in a way no one else has. They just need to think it through.
 

HentMas

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Apr 17, 2009
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i have always looked a Peter as a teen paper sales kid in the middle of the street screaming at the top of his lungs "BUY IT HERE, THE TRUE STORY OF THE MURDER BY SIMPSON" "THE ALIENS ARE COMING, FLASH NEWS" only to buy the paper and look that they wrote as a foot note that Simpson was absolved and that the "Aliens" were a band that was playing in a bar

he is a sales man, and as such he "hypes" everything, but he does tend to stuck his foot down his mouth, when saying "de-risk" i think he refers to "sell them an amazing idea up to the point they can´t refuse and deliver only what it is humanly posible to do" so yeah.

a sales man? yes, he is a great sales man, but i dont think he should be giving advice to producers about handling investors, we will end up with so many broken promises that ultimatly will destroy the gaming busines. (in my opinion)

unless you are Nintendo and keep releasing the same idea over and over and over haha
 

hansari

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ChromeAlchemist said:
Sometimes they don't even need to go where no one else is going. They can go somewhere where everyone has been but do it in a way no one else has. They just need to think it through.
Thanks for your inspiration ChromeAlchemist!

Now applying Molyneux's "de-risk" logic...I got it!!!

It'll be like Gears of War! But with women! Busty women in tight fitting clothes! And instead of Locust they fight zombies!!! Thats cliche enough, right? Lets throw in a mech for good measure!

(* We just sold 10Million units >_<)
 

Casual Shinji

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Right.

A TV show about a serial-killer is a hard sell? If there's something that's popular with the internet generation it's serial-killers.

Maybe ol' Pete needs to finally MAKE a game that isn't riddled with bugs, instead of TALKING about it.
 

ChromeAlchemist

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hansari said:
ChromeAlchemist said:
Sometimes they don't even need to go where no one else is going. They can go somewhere where everyone has been but do it in a way no one else has. They just need to think it through.
Thanks for your inspiration ChromeAlchemist!

Now applying Molyneux's "de-risk" logic...I got it!!!

It'll be like Gears of War! But with women! Busty women in tight fitting clothes! And instead of Locust they fight zombies!!! Thats cliche enough, right? Lets throw in a mech for good measure!

(* We just sold 10Million units >_<)
I get half of the profits by default, remember that. Otherwise my people are going to have to talk to your people, and I'll end up getting all of the profits.

P.S. You missed Ninja. They are hulking busty women in tight fitting clothes fighting Zombie Ninja strippers. Your welcome.
 

frank220

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Dec 25, 2008
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I have a love-hate relationship with Peter, but he's right. He also needs to practice what he preaches.
 

CrafterMan

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Spot on Mr Molyneux! He is a great dude but he needs to learn from his mistakes as well.

-Joe