Peter Molyneux to Receive GDC Lifetime Achievement Award

[Greg Tito]

Peter Molyneux to Receive GDC Lifetime Achievement Award

I wonder if, before he was born, Peter Molyneux's mother promised that her son would one day be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Conference.

If so, in contrast to Molyneux's games sometimes not delivering on promised features, her pledge will now come true. At the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony that will take place in San Francisco this March during GDC, Molyneux will be praised by his peers for his career developing games that spans over 25 years. Molyneux is most commonly held to be the grandfather of the so-called "God game." Beginning by creating a text-based business sim for the Commodore 64, Molyneux eventually founded Bullfrog Productions where he made the games Populous and Dungeon Keeper. He later founded Lionhead Studios, which made Black & White in 2001 before eventually being acquired by Microsoft in 2006. As both a major producer on the Fable series and the Creative Director of Microsoft Game Studios in Europe, Molyneux's influence on the game industry is far-reaching. On top of that, he definitely knows how to bro-hug [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/conferences/gdc2010/7287-Fable-3-Bro-hugging-Peter-Molyneux].

"Peter is a remarkable asset to the games industry, and truly embodies everything that the Lifetime Achievement Award represents," said Meggan Scavio, event director of GDC. "We're proud to honor someone who has had such a profound impact on the industry, through his boundless enthusiasm and profound talent in creating games about choice and interactivity that the entire world loves to play."

2011's honoring of Molyneux will mark the 11th Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the GDC. Previous recipients of the award include Shigeru Miyamoto, Sid Meier, Richard Garriott and Will Wright.

Tim Schafer, currently of Double Fine Productions (Pyschonauts, Brutal Legend) and previously of LucasArts (Grim Fandango, Secret of Monkey Island, will return to hosting the awards show as he did in 2009 and 2007. With both the very charismatic Molyneux and Schafer on stage, the show will no doubt be pretty funny.

And, as Schafer pointed out in a recent Tweet [http://twitter.com/#!/TimOfLegend/status/27785593626828800], "I wonder if this means I will finally meet Peter Molyneux? (I'd better go finish Fable III)"

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[imnot]

Good for him, I love his games and think he's awsome like a cake.

 

[Cpt Corallis]

While he may be somewhat maligned, you can't deny the man's enthusiasm for what he does. Congratulations to him.

 

[FinalDream]

They should end up giving him a lesser award so he can finally feel like fable fans, not getting what was promised.

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

Good to see someone who takes such pride in their work being rewarded for it.

Before people start complaining about Fable, lets not forget Black & White as well as all the work he did with Bullfrog with things like Popoulus, Theme Park and Dungeon Keeper.

Edit: Too late.

 

[vxicepickxv]

They should end up giving him a lesser award so he can finally feel like fable fans, not getting what was promised.

That sounds like a good idea, so it's not going to happen.

 

[kingcat1]

Good for him

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

The actual explanation:

*Bullhorn* "Peter Molyneux: This is the GDC committee. We're finally going to give int your demands. We've lined up a lifetime achievement award for you. Now please stop making games. You can keep a few of the interns you have as hostages, but please stop making games!"

 

[zehydra]

The magic carpet series is one of his best I must say. Too bad it's too old now that no one's ever heard of it or will bother to play it.

 

[Jamash]

It's nice to see him officially honoured by his industry, although it's funny that both Britain and France have honoured him with an OBE and a Knighthood (Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) before the industry.

Given the type of games he makes, I wonder how the GDC Lifetime Achievement Award compares to being a Officer of the Order of the British Empire and a French Knight.
Will it take pride of place in the Trophy Room of his Sanctuary, or when he receives the award will he just say "Meh, about time", call everyone's mother a Hamster, then mount his Charger and ride off stage (tipping over Tim Schafer with his lance on the way out).

Although this is the creator of Fable we're talking about, so he'll probably just raise the trophy aloft in one hand, perform a Heroic Pose and then fart in Tim Schafer's face to a standing ovation.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

He has commitment and enthusiasm down, I'll give him that.

But considering the fact that Fable is mentioned above all else for his achievements, I can't help but feel we are being subtly trolled by this one as well..

FYI: I loved Black and White. Both of them.

 

[number2301]

Well deserved, absolute legend. This guy has been making classic games and defining genres since most of his detractors were in nappies.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

Before people start complaining about Fable, lets not forget Black & White as well as all the work he did with Bullfrog with things like Popoulus, Theme Park and Dungeon Keeper.

Theme park was crap, and dungeon keeper was crap too. Felt like an awesome game got broken down and I only got 1/3 of the pieces

 

[Irridium]

Good for him. He's the only person in the industry who talks like he cares about what he does, instead of sounding like he's boringly reciting corporate-speak...

Plus I love the Fable games immensely, all of them. So yeah, good for him.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

They should end up giving him a lesser award so he can finally feel like fable fans, not getting what was promised.

While slightly more biting than what I was going to say, I have to agree with you.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

i never got the impression that he purposely made promises he intended not to keep, or that he was blatantly lying, just that he had a big vision and big ideas that he could never really fully deliver on. his intentions may have always been good, but i can't help but feel that there are others far more deserving than him.

Dan Houser (Rockstar Games) immediately comes to mind. everything rockstar TRIES to do, it DOES. with GTA it wanted a slightly comical sandbox crime sim, and nailed it, redefining games forever. With Manhunt, they wanted a brutally evisceral game that pushed the boundaries of what you were allowed to do (and like the game or not, we as gamers all owe Rockstar a lot for breaking taboos and opening up possibilities) with GTA IV they wanted to take their proven formula and turn it into a much grittier, realistic version of its predecessors, and (unfortunately in my eyes... i still think San Andreas was the pinnacle of GTA) nailed that too. Then they took that gritty realism and put it into a deep story from the old west (RDR) and nailed it again.

yes. i am a rockstar fanboy.

the writing and stories are always top notch, the gameplay is fun as hell, the worlds really come to life and, above all else, Rockstar is at the forefront of Civil Disobedience for the purpose of equality amongst media. (meaning movies can have titties and curse like a trucker, but these are things that, as gamers, we've only recently been allowed access to.)

and i feel strongly enough saying that Rockstar will be the first company to successfully release an AO console game to mass appeal that isn't AO because its trying to be something, its AO just by merit of the creative process.