Rock, Paper, Shotgun holds no punches on Peter Molyneux interview. (Update)
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Holiee shieet, that was easily the most unprofessional interview I've read in a while. Good lord, I've never read anything from RPS before, and if this is the kind of standard they hold their journalists to that isn't going to change any time soon.
Yes, PM needs to be brought down to reality and learn to dial back on the fucking hyperbole substantially, but he isn't a malicious asshole deliberately attempting to screw the gaming community over, he's an over-eager optimist with his head in the clouds that very clearly wants nothing more then to please those that play his games. Really, PM should step down from a development role and instead be a creative consultant. Be the George Lucas to a more competent developer's Steven Spielberg.
Honestly, I really like PM, I can understand people being displeased with him for failing to deliver on his many pie-in-the-sky promises, but for fuck's sake you lot of whinging assholes, he's constantly fucking up because he wants to deliver the best to you without realizing that such goals out simply out of his reach. Stop acting like he's trying to fuck you all out of your money in the most efficient way possible when he's simply incompetent in his current role as a leader.
Yes, PM needs to be brought down to reality and learn to dial back on the fucking hyperbole substantially, but he isn't a malicious asshole deliberately attempting to screw the gaming community over, he's an over-eager optimist with his head in the clouds that very clearly wants nothing more then to please those that play his games. Really, PM should step down from a development role and instead be a creative consultant. Be the George Lucas to a more competent developer's Steven Spielberg.
Honestly, I really like PM, I can understand people being displeased with him for failing to deliver on his many pie-in-the-sky promises, but for fuck's sake you lot of whinging assholes, he's constantly fucking up because he wants to deliver the best to you without realizing that such goals out simply out of his reach. Stop acting like he's trying to fuck you all out of your money in the most efficient way possible when he's simply incompetent in his current role as a leader.
There's a rather wide gulf between asking the tough questions and acting like you just fell off the back of a particularly idiotic Reddit comment thread.MCerberus said:
More of a sea, really.
That sense of nuance can be tough to grasp though, so relax! You're doing fine. This game is hard.
I would agree with you if not for a simple fact that he effectively took hundreds of thousands of people's money while saying that "we dont want to have a publisher" and then signs up with a publisher just a few months later. And in business these kinds of deals dont happen out of the blue, he had to be in negotiations with that publisher during the kickstarter to get that agreement so quickly. This is not incompetence or enthusiasm this was calculated to make the highest amount of money possible.BakaSmurf said:
And remember, every time Peter screws up it is not Peter who pays the price but the developers who see their studios closes and their franchises ruined. He just moves on to the next hype train and deflects all criticism. Not to mention that thanks to him and people like him the well of kickstarter and early access has been poisoned to the point that people who really need kickstarter can no longer use it.
Give me Black and White 3 and I'll be happy. I loved the Populous and B&W series, but I was extremely skeptical when I saw the Kickstarter Godus being made by the same person. Lets just hope all this publicity is going to give the Godus team a kick in the ass to get this done.
Exactly right.Aurion said:
The sledgehammer approach can be effective, but not so much when you're banging on the same square inch of concrete for 2 hours. I did manage to make it past the halfway point of the interview, which was no small feat.
Peter Molyneux has never worked at a company he didn't help found nor has he ever worked with a license he didn't have some hand in creating, meanwhile of those developers Bullfrog was dismantled by EA long after he had already left and Lionhead is still going after its acquisition by Microsoft and Molyneux's leaving.Chemical123 said:
You're welcome to criticize the man for his ridiculous claims and his failed promises to your hearts content, he's certainly earned that reputation, but there's no need for making things up about the man to portray him as if he were some sort of wandering plagued vagrant when it simply isn't true.
Damn I didn't know shit was this nasty with Godus, lied about the budget, publishers and time table to the very people who were asked to donate into his new hobby... that is just dirty.
Obviously a battering like that can't be called an interview or professional, but it seems to be a battering dear Moly earned with this shit. It is also very amusing to see the man is just a quick on his PR speak here as with any other public outing, he may not have learned his dev time but he has honed a very slippery tongue.
Obviously a battering like that can't be called an interview or professional, but it seems to be a battering dear Moly earned with this shit. It is also very amusing to see the man is just a quick on his PR speak here as with any other public outing, he may not have learned his dev time but he has honed a very slippery tongue.
The interviewer was extremely unprofessional, but he asked what needed asking. I think they sort of cancel eachother out.
Peter seems like he's sincerely passionate about gaming, but he's just not good at literally anything else.
Peter seems like he's sincerely passionate about gaming, but he's just not good at literally anything else.
Mixed on this. Yeah I have not exactly been a fan of the mad ravings of crazy old Uncle Petey for years, and I think donating to his Kickstarter is probably an early sign of the onset of dementia. But I gotta wonder what RPS is thinking with this one? The entire gaming press is hanging by a thread. RPS's readership has been deserting in droves in fallout from the whole #GG mess. As have advertisers. So far the only group that has not visibly turned their backs on the gaming press are the developers (the publishers, not so much). And an aggressive interview like this, to a well known well regarded industry dinosaur who has seen and done it all and may be having tough times delivering on a crowd sourced woefully underbudget vanity project, well guess what the rest of the developers are gonna think twice before picking up the phone when you call. In fact I think any sane developers answer to an RPS interview request will probably begin with "Go" and end with "Yourself". Not a winning combination for a struggling site being quickly squeezed out by even newer new media.
Should Peter Molyneux be called out on this bullshit? Absolutely.
Is subjecting Peter Molyneux to an irrationally over-aggressive barrage reminiscent of an entitled 5 year old screaming for a candy bar an appropriate and effective way to do this? No.
Is subjecting Peter Molyneux to an irrationally over-aggressive barrage reminiscent of an entitled 5 year old screaming for a candy bar an appropriate and effective way to do this? No.
Honestly, I wish more journalists were this aggressive. Especially journalists that are covering politics.
I did not really have much problem with the interview being this straight forward in their questioning I just wish Molyneux was as straight forward in his answers you could see his wriggling like he was trying to be made to see something he didnt want to.
On the other hand he did not cut the interview short or have carefully prepared stock phrases to answer difficult questions to props for him on that front shows he has some backbone and integrity.
I read it all, he comes across as very passionate about the games but yeah hes a liar and he knows he is he just convinces himself he is not. I suppose slightly delusional would be more accurate and hes desperate to avoid being held to account for it man could be a politician with the way he spins things.
I do feel he is an easy target however and while I do think it was justified I would like some of the bigger studios and publishers to be held to account but good luck getting an answer out of them odds are you would just get a no comment (if that) and be blacklisted while they continue on with their shitty practices exploiting people.
I believe Peter Molyneux is a liar and will do so to get money as well however I dont think he is doing it for malicious reasons more because he truly wants to make a great game. That does not make it ok however although it is better than lying simply to get money for his own personal pockets or make a game whos sole purpose is to make as much money as possible through any means instead of just making a good game and selling that.
If you set a quote you should do everything you say you will do in that quote for that amount any extras are extra that may require more money and thats fine. If your quote is not enough you either take a hit or if you cant/dont want to your reputation takes a hit which could mean the end of your career so its not something most will gamble on (if they have any credibility anyway). If you overquoted and have loads spare well lucky you but you could also reimburse some of them and maybe grow your reputation a little more.
Kickstarter is shady though in exactly what you are entitled to which is why I think many are turning away from it for videogames.
On the other hand he did not cut the interview short or have carefully prepared stock phrases to answer difficult questions to props for him on that front shows he has some backbone and integrity.
I read it all, he comes across as very passionate about the games but yeah hes a liar and he knows he is he just convinces himself he is not. I suppose slightly delusional would be more accurate and hes desperate to avoid being held to account for it man could be a politician with the way he spins things.
I do feel he is an easy target however and while I do think it was justified I would like some of the bigger studios and publishers to be held to account but good luck getting an answer out of them odds are you would just get a no comment (if that) and be blacklisted while they continue on with their shitty practices exploiting people.
I believe Peter Molyneux is a liar and will do so to get money as well however I dont think he is doing it for malicious reasons more because he truly wants to make a great game. That does not make it ok however although it is better than lying simply to get money for his own personal pockets or make a game whos sole purpose is to make as much money as possible through any means instead of just making a good game and selling that.
If you set a quote you should do everything you say you will do in that quote for that amount any extras are extra that may require more money and thats fine. If your quote is not enough you either take a hit or if you cant/dont want to your reputation takes a hit which could mean the end of your career so its not something most will gamble on (if they have any credibility anyway). If you overquoted and have loads spare well lucky you but you could also reimburse some of them and maybe grow your reputation a little more.
Kickstarter is shady though in exactly what you are entitled to which is why I think many are turning away from it for videogames.
Well, that just makes me want to click on it...Silentpony said:
Holy crap, it's true...
This.Maximum Bert said:
And this. I seriously don't get everyone's soft spot for Peter. The man has consistently lied to us for over a decade. He made "Microtransaction the game" for the "ultimate prize" and then reneged the prize. Being called on your bullshit will stop making you bullshit. Everyone has to remember that no one bullshits like Peter in this industry. I give him credit for not walking out of the interview like a Diva, but I really don't think the interview was too aggressive. He was caught in a lie at least 2 times in the interview that opened with "Are you a pathological liar?"MCerberus said:
The whole interview is this John guy quoting (and paraphrasing) what Peter has said in the past and asking him to explain why he said it. As well bringing up the fact that Peter is known for false promises or not following through on his word in the industry. Mostly it revolves around Godus. I don't see how this interview was too harsh, the truth can be as harsh as it is. But if asking for clarification is "too harsh" that usually means we have a liar on our hands. If it were easy to do as he does, we would have many Peter's out there, but we have 1. He is either sociopathic or has a slight case of senility.
Have a peek at this news link that was posted back in Dec.Peter Molyneux speaking to Tech Radar about Kickstarter/Godus" said:
http://www.funandseriousgamefestival.com/english/news/peter-molyneux-announces-the-trial-at-the-fun-serious-game-festival/
I liked how the last sentence is: "The Trial will be out soon, he promised." 3 months later he did this interview with RPS assuring us he works 16 hours a day on Godus.
I loved the bit where he said "[...]at Microsoft and I had an army of PR people trying to suppress me".
Overall, Peter managed a couple good points between all the pouting in the interview but he also did come across as unwilling to accept that he has either no concept of reality, or he is a liar. He'll admit he makes big promises... but they aren't lies when he fails to meet them.
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/rockpapershotgun.comfaefrost said:
https://www.quantcast.com/rockpapershotgun.com
http://www.similarweb.com/website/rockpapershotgun.com
Rockpapershotgun had an almost identical traffic dip in October of the previous year. Both corresponded with relatively poor/weak news periods for PC Gaming (or just poor/weak reporting on same by RPS, their material was very thin through this period, both in quantity and quality). RPS has also seen a fair amount of talent drain over the past 3-5 years, with some of their best/funniest writers departing for different ventures.
I realize GG believed their influence was wielded on the industry like the hammer of a righteous God, but the fiasco had little to no impact on site traffic for the vast majority of websites. If anything it caused a brief surge, and subsequent return to pre-controversy levels, which was in many cases viewed as evidence of viewership plummeting and proof positive that gaming journalists everywhere were being hoist by their own petard. Little to no effort was put into actually looking at traffic analytics going back even as far as 2-3 months, let alone historical trends.
On topic...nasty ambush journalism aimed at someone who appears to be entirely deserving of it. Interviewer was unprofessional, Molyneux is unprofessional, everyone is unprofessional.
Frankly I'm amazed Molyneux is still squeezing sympathy/money out of people at this point. Fool me 23 times, shame on me. His next project could literally be titled Snake Oil and people would still line up to fund it.
I still remember that interview, when they kept going on about why that women, why was she wearing that, etc... Really harassing the developer of a really minor point a trailer for a game. That was the day I officially deleted my bookmark to RPS and never returned.The Madman said:
It's a piece of trash being interviewed by piece of trash
Ok, they bashed on Molyneux for going back on promises and failing to meet expectations despite receiving enough money:
Why weren't they hard on Tim Schaefer?
Why not on the Yogscast controversy?
Why not even mention Grace Lynn, or Anita Sarkeesian? They've failed to deliver on their projects. Why not Brianna Wu? She bought a motorcycle with her patreon money. Hell throw, in Phil Fish and Zoe Quinn.
I mean after all, when Max Tempkin was accused of rape it was a big deal to RPS.
Instead we get complaints about female bodies in games made by Blizzard and CDProjekt.
Oh yeah, because last time people asked them to be objective we got this
https://twitter.com/botherer/status/511485177051512832
John Walker can fuck off.
Ok, they bashed on Molyneux for going back on promises and failing to meet expectations despite receiving enough money:
Why weren't they hard on Tim Schaefer?
Why not on the Yogscast controversy?
Why not even mention Grace Lynn, or Anita Sarkeesian? They've failed to deliver on their projects. Why not Brianna Wu? She bought a motorcycle with her patreon money. Hell throw, in Phil Fish and Zoe Quinn.
I mean after all, when Max Tempkin was accused of rape it was a big deal to RPS.
Instead we get complaints about female bodies in games made by Blizzard and CDProjekt.
Oh yeah, because last time people asked them to be objective we got this
https://twitter.com/botherer/status/511485177051512832
John Walker can fuck off.
It's hard for me to hate on Peter Molyneux for over-promising on Godus because... well, that's just Peter Molyneux being Peter Molyneux. It's no secret that he is a career over-promiser. Hell, it's baked right into the first sentence of the second ZP Yahtzee ever made.
I'm not saying his games are bad. Fables 1-3 were enjoyable enough, but they feel far short of what he was hyping them as. They always felt like shadows of the game he was telling us about. I remember playing through the first Fable in 2005, trying to find all the cool stuff he had promised in interviews back during 2002 and 2003. By the time the credits rolled, I had learned something incredibly valuable...
Peter Molyneux has trouble delivering on his ambitious promises.
And that is exactly why he is the last person you should be giving KickStarter money to.
So now we have a whole bunch of new gamers who are learning in 2015 the same lesson I, and so many others, learned in 2005. I literally cannot feel bad for people who backed Godus. Peter Molyneux's history of unfulfilled promises was public knowledge, but that didn't stop them from throwing money at another batch of promises.
I'm not saying his games are bad. Fables 1-3 were enjoyable enough, but they feel far short of what he was hyping them as. They always felt like shadows of the game he was telling us about. I remember playing through the first Fable in 2005, trying to find all the cool stuff he had promised in interviews back during 2002 and 2003. By the time the credits rolled, I had learned something incredibly valuable...
Peter Molyneux has trouble delivering on his ambitious promises.
And that is exactly why he is the last person you should be giving KickStarter money to.
So now we have a whole bunch of new gamers who are learning in 2015 the same lesson I, and so many others, learned in 2005. I literally cannot feel bad for people who backed Godus. Peter Molyneux's history of unfulfilled promises was public knowledge, but that didn't stop them from throwing money at another batch of promises.
