Peter Molyneux Wants to Help With Syndicate Remake

[Logan Westbrook]

Peter Molyneux Wants to Help With Syndicate Remake

The Lionhead founder is feeling all paternal over one of his old games.

Peter Molyneux says that he's not that keen on remakes, but if EA decides to make a new version of the tactical shooter/real-time strategy game, Syndicate, he'd like to be involved. Syndicate was created by Molyneux's Bullfrog Productions, which EA acquired in 1995.

Rumors that EA is working on a Syndicate reboot have been circulating for years now, with the most [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90609-New-Syndicate-Game-Confirmed] persistent [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102597-Syndicate-Reboot-Rumors-Refueled-by-New-Registrations] being that Starbreeze Studios, the makers of The Darkness and The Chronicle of Riddick games, were hard at work on it. Molyneux said that he was sure that EA would do a good job with any remake, but that like a parent looking out for their child, he still wanted to have a little bit of involvement. He didn't want to be the game's creative director or anything grandiose like that, but he said that he would love to spend a day with the developers and just talk to them about what made the Syndicate series special.

Just last week, EA's Frank Gibeau was talking [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108740-Road-Rash-Populous-Comebacks-Not-Impossible-Says-EA] about the possibility of bringing back classic Bullfrog IPs, which also includes games like Populous and Magic Carpet, so there's every chance that a Syndicate remake could happen. Whether Molyneux could consult on the game is less clear - assuming that EA wanted him to, of course - because he's now a Microsoft employee. It's not impossible though, and if there's anyone who can communicate what makes a game special, it's Peter Molyneux.

Source: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/295549/news/let-me-help-with-syndicate-remake-says-molyneux/]


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[Alpha Maeko]

Brought to you by Peter Molyneux, this re-imagined Syndicate experience will not only cure cancer, but salvage every inch of your nostalgia for a title you've never heard of.

 

[ComicsAreWeird]

Well, i´d like to see him involved as an advisor of the project. But i want to see someone else bring his own creative vision to the game.

 

[VyperX]

I loved Syndicate... Read about it in a pc magazine, and even pinned the pages to my board. Took me 5 years before I actually played the game, and it was as good as I had dreamt about in those years.

Too bad there never was a sequel. (Not one that I will acknowledge.)

Anyway, I hope Syndicate doesn't get the same treatment as X-Com, another classic love of mine, did. *crosses fingers*

 

[ldwater]

Synidate was awesome back in the day, but a re-imagining has the potential to be bigger than one man.

The setting, environment and story are all strong enough to hold on their own so anything Molyneux could bring to the table would be redundant.

Sometimes starting from scratch is a good idea, and while the game was good with todays technology and some creative thinking it could be awesome again; this also means it doesn't have to be a remake with some graphical upgrades but it could also make for an awesome (3rd/1st) shooter, similar to something like the new deus ex.

We all know how much Yahtzee loves his chest high walls

 

[Mr Thin]

Screw Syndicate, give me Dungeon Keeper 3 already!

Damnit, the second game has a trailer and everything!

I WANT IT! I WANT IT NOW!

 

[octafish]

I loved Syndicate... Read about it in a pc magazine, and even pinned the pages to my board. Took me 5 years before I actually played the game, and it was as good as I had dreamt about in those years.

Too bad there never was a sequel. (Not one that I will acknowledge.)

Anyway, I hope Syndicate doesn't get the same treatment as X-Com, another classic love of mine, did. *crosses fingers*

Nah it'll be another fucking shooter. Sorry. Ignore me. I'm still bitter over X-Com.

 

[Madman123456]

if we're lucky, we'll see some sandbox scifi action rpg thingy that borrows rather heavily from Deus Ex.
If we're less lucky, we'll get a coverbased shooter which at least has future scifi guns.


Thinking about remaking old Bullfrog IP? May i suggest "Theme Park"? Any Bugs this remake will have would have to be considered true to the original.

 

[DP155ToneZone]

He said it.

Just said it?

Where did he say it?

 

[Kain904]

I agree with Mr Thin, if their going to bring back any Bullfrog ip's it should be Dungeon Keeper... oh wait, they sold to bloody CHINA!!!!

 

[WilliamRLBaker]

So I can assume the remake will have multiple endings that mean nothing to the story at hand and one where you pick to save a loved one but then never see them ever again...?

 

[Thaluikhain]

I've only played Syndicate Wars, though I quite liked the world building in that...though rather blatantly borrowing from Judge Dredd and Ghost in the Shell...in that they had ads playing for them you could watch. Having ads for the same two movies blaring at you all the time might annoy the locals, though, but at least one of them was regarded as a classic.

On the other hand, Syndicate was noteworthy in its time for being particularly violent, which would be hard to pull off these days.

 

[Ghengis John]

Synidate was awesome back in the day, but a re-imagining has the potential to be bigger than one man.

The setting, environment and story are all strong enough to hold on their own so anything Molyneux could bring to the table would be redundant.

Give the man a little credit, he thought them all up in the first place and you really have no idea what he's got in mind. In the least don't ask for another 1st or 3rd person shooter, we have enough of those.

That said I think it would be cool if they'd contact peter and let him share his thoughts with them, they don't HAVE to use anything he says after all but it would be nice to have his input as creator. I tend to feel that handing a game to a new team because the IP is bought out saps some of the genuineness from it. It's the sort of thing that I wish game companies would do, like team ninja asking Itagaki what he thinks on future DOA or Ninja Gaiden games to keep some sense of cohesiveness.

So I can assume the remake will have multiple endings that mean nothing to the story at hand and one where you pick to save a loved one but then never see them ever again...?

You're more likely to stop complaining about fable 3. But yeah, what a rip that was. "It's a letter from Rose." Felt like that sitcom moment where character who's actor was too good to stay on the show supposedly has made a phone call that nobody else gets to hear.

 

[Riobux]

Just last week, EA's Frank Gibeau was talking [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108740-Road-Rash-Populous-Comebacks-Not-Impossible-Says-EA] about the possibility of bringing back classic Bullfrog IPs, which also includes games like Populous and Magic Carpet, so there's every chance that a Syndicate remake could happen. Whether Molyneux could consult on the game is less clear - assuming that EA wanted him to, of course - because he's now a Microsoft employee. It's not impossible though, and if there's anyone who can communicate what makes a game special, it's Peter Molyneux.

Can't wait to get re-imaginings of Bullfrog games, without Bullfrog receiving a single penny since EA disbanded them. Oh well, all the more money to EA.

 

[Sparrow]

Molyneux said that he was sure that EA would do a good job with any remake...

Christ. Maybe Molyneux really is mad if he thinks that.

 

[WolfLordAndy]

I wish they'd remake some of hte other Bullfrog games...

Dungeon Keeper 3? Theme Hospital/Park sequels?

**goes to find old Theme Hospital disk**

 

[Smokej]

Nah it'll be another fucking shooter. Sorry. Ignore me. I'm still bitter over X-Com.

True, I wouldn't expect it otherwise from someone with Grunty as an Avatar But maybe JA:Back in Action is halfway decent, even though they anounced that there is no TBS-Combat last week There will be some hybrid-rts system called plan&go. Hope it's not that bad...

 

[Albino Boo]

Molyneux said that he was sure that EA would do a good job with any remake...

Christ. Maybe Molyneux really is mad if he thinks that.

What else do expect a former vice president of EA to say?

 

[mad825]

I sense an elaborate scheme from Microsoft in which EA are almost certainly going to deny any help from Peter.