Lionhead has "super secret second project"

By Fred Dutton Published 30 June, 2011

Plus, Fable Kinect uses Milo & Kate tech.

Fable developer Lionhead has a "super secret second project" in development alongside recently announced Kinect title Fable: The Journey, studio boss Peter Molyneux has disclosed.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the outspoken industry veteran made the proclamation at the Gamelab conference in Barcelona today, though wouldn't offer any further details.

He did, however, take the opportunity to divulge a few new details regarding Fable: The Journey, revealing that the forthcoming game uses "huge amounts" of tech left over from the infamous Milo & Kate demo.

He also reiterated that the game isn't "on-rails" and could be played sitting down.

"Some people in the audience will be thinking, I don't want to use Kinect. I don't want to jump around all over the place - I want to sit down. That's only thinking of the negatives. Think about the positives about Kinect. The wonderful, amazing thing about Kinect is that it can see you.

"The most amazing thing about the journey is that you can play it sitting down. If I'm going to tell the most emotional story in the fable saga, you'll have to be relaxed."

He also unleashed some classic Molyneux hyperbole, insisting that the horse that pulls your caravan in the game is one of Lionhead's crowning achievements.

"This horse is one of the most amazing things we've ever created," he claimed. "He's going to have so much feeling for you. Think about combining the creature from Black and White, the dog from Fable and my hamster from when I was a child.

"I definitely want to make you cry," he concluded. "I want there to be a lump in your throat. I want you to remember this for the rest of your life. Why would I want to make a game that didn't do that?"

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (69) Latest comment 11 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Bahumet #1 11 months ago

    The most amazing thing is that you can play sitting down...

    Amazing indeed.

  • Gearskin #2 11 months ago

    It'll be that BC game they never released

  • ronuds #3 11 months ago

    I hope it's BC! I couldn't wait for that to be released... and then nothing. :(

    Somehow I doubt it's that, though. :/

  • VibratingDonkey #4 11 months ago

    Spoiler: The horse will die.

  • UsernamePending #5 11 months ago

    He's making me cry already.

  • 32768Colours #6 11 months ago

    "The most amazing thing about the journey is that you can play it sitting down."

    Fuck me! Really?! I've never played a game sitting down before. Peter Molyneux must be a bloody genius!

    /choking on my sarcasm amid the torrent of hyperbole

  • CheesecakeBobby #7 11 months ago

    I actually played BC, my god I hope it's that. It's blatantly not though.

  • riceNpea #8 11 months ago

    "I want there to be a lump in your throat."

    there is. you made me have a mini sick. why can't you ever just shut up and let your game do the talking for you? that way when you don't deliver what you promise (again) we won't think you're a bullshit artist.

  • Smoped #9 11 months ago

    Molyneux and his virtual pets. It didn't work in Black & White, it was an annoyance in Fables, why can't he just accept that it just flat out doesn't work? I know he thinks it is an easy way to make us emotionally involved in the game, but that only works when the whole focus of the game is in caring for the virtual pet.

  • rottingyoda #10 11 months ago

    The horse will kick an increasing number of chickens for you depending on how fed up with hyperbole you are.

  • jablonski #11 11 months ago

    The boy who cried wolf

  • dfunked #12 11 months ago

    Is it Fable 4?...

  • cheeky_BILLY #13 11 months ago

    More Bollocks from Pete.

  • RESIDENT_nEVILe #14 11 months ago

    I still love you, Molly.

  • JetSetWilly #15 11 months ago

    Is it a QA department?

  • ajaxpliskin #16 11 months ago

    Magic Carpet 3!!!!

  • darkos87 #17 11 months ago

    'I want there to be a lump in your throat' So you want to deepthroat us? O_o People get arrested these days for that Peter... tut tut

  • RodHull #18 11 months ago

    As seen as El Peto has been going on about wanting to do new IP I imagine it's Fable 4.

  • Yuroko #19 11 months ago

    The man is mentally ill, I've seen him eat a plastic pie.

  • meanmrmustard #20 11 months ago

    Dungeon Keeper 3 for the PC! .........or not :(

  • Stricker #21 11 months ago

    "I definitely want to make you cry"

    That's nice, but will I be able to do anything?

  • Crea #22 11 months ago

    Molyneux Defense League reporting for duty!

    Get back, haters!

  • AdamAsunder #23 11 months ago

    Why do I insist on clicking Lionhead news stories?

    It's like I enjoy being riled or something.

    Something for the counsellor to mull over I reckon....

    As you were.
    Edited by AdamAsunder at 30/06/11 @ 21:46

  • Subdominator #24 11 months ago

    Of course it's Fable 4. They're just doing Fable Kinect because Microsoft wants more output than 1 game every two or three years. A game like Fable Kinect can be easily done in a year.

  • WinterSnowblind #25 11 months ago

    Can we have a new Black & White? At least that's something that would actually be suited to Kinect support.

  • RoOhDaMite #26 11 months ago

    Please, Peter make BC happen. Whatever the special project is, it better have dinosaurs in it.

  • spliffhead #27 11 months ago

    Looks like Fable Journey Horse Armour DLC is a must then?

  • RodHull #28 11 months ago

    Actually, a Fable prequel would be cool. The Tales of Albion website that promoted Fable 2 had some great stories about the rise and fall of Jack of Blades and his defeat by Scythe / William Black and how the guild was formed.

  • Jon1292 #29 11 months ago

    Right, who left the bloody Molyneux cage unlocked again?
    Someone get him back in there and lock this crazy up.

  • Markusdragon #30 11 months ago

    I'm one of Molyneux's most ardent apologists, but even I'm having my doubts about Fable: The Journey.

  • wogsy81 #31 11 months ago

    Can the Lionhead guys please but a public ban on Molyneux saying ANYTHING about this game as trust me on this.
    He will only make you guys a laughing stock!!

    I remember we were all laughing at Pete's hyperbole 5 years bloody years ago.
    Now after the other days "Molyneux article" i have lost virtually all of the respect i had for him..

    I remember about Fable 2 how he talked about "how touch is sooo important to the game" "How embracing someone has finally been replicated in the virtual space" when all we got was hold the A button to to hold this NPC's hand for some crap generic escort mission.
    Man,, Molyneux is soo full of shit at times. Its a crying shame actually as i really really like the guy!! His infection for gaming is beyond doubt. But his bullshit is just too much even for me..


    So yeahh,, everyone at Lionhead, just shut the fuck up for a few years and let the gamers hype your games up for you. As your doing a piss poor job of it yourselves. (Trust me Lionhead, if a game is worth hyping then us gamers will do all the hyping you guys need and more)

    Lionhead, your slowly but shirley getting a reputation as a gang of shit-talkers.
    Hell, even the sub-title of this article is taking the piss out of your companys ability to talk shit!!
    Not once in that article did i read the quote from Peter "super secret second project"!!! It was put in by EuroGamer as a sly dig!!

    Trust me guys. Put a gag on Pete and any other PR shill for a year or two and keep the hyping to realistic levels please.
    Us hardcore/serious gamers aren't fooled anymore by hyperbole. Well some of us are but the majority of use getting pretty clued up now!

    Best regards, wogsy.

  • Purist #32 11 months ago

    is it the successor to that 'flawed' game molyneux was banging on about the other day ... by any chance..you know the one I'm talking about, so I guess it has a 4 on the end.

  • Xardan #33 11 months ago

    Ive always wanted a pet horsey.

  • Sevens #34 11 months ago

    'The most amazing thing about the journey is that you can play it sitting down. If I'm going to tell the most emotional story in the fable saga, you'll have to be relaxed.'

    Hm, being allowed to sit down probably is the most amazing thing this game has to offer.


    '"This horse is one of the most amazing things we've ever created," he claimed. "He's going to have so much feeling for you. Think about combining the creature from Black and White, the dog from Fable and my hamster from when I was a child.'

    ... oh hell.


    '"I definitely want to make you cry," he concluded. "I want there to be a lump in your throat. I want you to remember this for the rest of your life."'

    That'll most likely work. I mean the Kinect demo alone already almost made me cry.

  • Retro_ #35 11 months ago

    Syndicate wars 2.... All together now......."Persuadertron"

  • Dreddnaught #36 11 months ago

    "Fable Kinect has Milo & Kate tech"

    Riiiiiiiiiiiight, so it's going to be once great big FMV you have to try and match your body/voice actions with to convince people you're actually in control ?

    On rails.

    I just don't know how Peter Molyneux keeps coming up with these ideas. And the industry saw fit to give him a BAFTA......

  • Ahskay #37 11 months ago

    Oh FFS
    here we go again. His glory days are way over. It started with BW and it goes on with Fable. Nothing but empty promises. This guy is his own worst enemy and his games are starting to become our enemy.

  • Stoatboy #38 11 months ago

    Sweet! You're going to end up eating the horse, basically. :D

    I don't even like the long-faced sons of bitches, but assigning them to the food slot in Mount & Blade always felt wromg enough to be the right thing to do. :)

  • skoypidia #39 11 months ago

    I could stay alone in my room for hours waving my hands like a wizard if somebody pointed at my head with a gun. I could pay money for this if I was a teacher of mentally challenged kids and wanted to use it in order to help them rehabilitate.

  • Pwnsweet #40 11 months ago

    Peter Molyneux's saying stuff. Prepare to be disappointed again guys.

  • orangpelupa #41 11 months ago

    secret is only a secret if you tell nobody, peter

    and
    "Think about combining the creature from Black and White, the dog from Fable and my hamster from when I was a child"

    i dont know your hamster....
    but i know black and white. Hmm when will you continue making black and white? O_o

    using MILO's AI for Black and White creature will be great. And the magic casting with kinect should feels good. Hey, even the "cursor" in black and white is an HAND right :)
    Edited by orangpelupa at 01/07/11 @ 03:18

  • RevanNL #42 11 months ago

    Ah, well next year he's going to tell us that it all sucked, that the story wasn't emotional enough and that playing while standing is the shit

  • Diabeu #43 11 months ago

    I dont want any horse feelings towards me, it's scary and in some countries illegal

  • dean0null #44 11 months ago

    "I definitely want to make you cry," he concluded. "I want there to be a lump in your throat. I want you to remember this for the rest of your life. Why would I want to make a game that didn't do that?"

    Because you're a douche Peter.

  • Porcupine_I #45 11 months ago

    sitting down? that sounds like an interesting concept! i like it!

  • Murton #46 11 months ago

    "I definitely want to make you cry," he concluded. "I want there to be a lump in your throat. I want you to remember this for the rest of your life. Why would I want to make a game that didn't do that?"

    Of the few games that have elicited a genuine emotional response I get the feeling that fewer still had that as their primary intention. If you want to achieve that then you need characters that we can directly relate to facing hardship and then give us difficult choices that relate to those characters. Infamous 2 for example, while a lot of people will admit to being emotional during the good ending I found the evil ending to be even more emotionally charged. During my good playthrough I came to like Zeke so much that being a colossal asshat toward him in the evil playthrough made me rather sad to the point where I didn't want to do it anymore and I became hesitant to harm him further, but I had to if I wanted to see that ending and obtain the platinum trophy. I doubt it was Sucker Punch's intention for the evil ending to be more upsetting than the good but it was because it well written. (those that have seen both endings will know what I mean)

    By setting his aim for emotional involvement and then announcing that he's introduced a bias that will undoubtedly affect the result. As vibratingdonkey said @ #4, we now fully expect the horse to die at the end and if we see it coming it becomes just another line in the story and not the big emotional twist that it's supposed to be.

  • Fidjit #47 11 months ago

    For god's sake Pete, if you have a another brilliant new IP lined up, just keep quiet and let the product speak for itself. This cycle of evangelical waffle followed by post-release apology is frankly getting a bit embarrassing.

  • OrgasmicMutton #48 11 months ago

    All aboard the Molyneux hype train, as reliable as British rail but with bombastic sound bites instead of overpriced refreshments.
    Edited by OrgasmicMutton at 01/07/11 @ 08:31

  • Shinetop #49 11 months ago

    Bombastic hyperbole or not, lines like "Think about combining the creature from Black and White, the dog from Fable and my hamster from when I was a child." are why I still love the guy.

  • linksdad #50 11 months ago

    A lump (of sick) in your throat, after you'd paid forty quid for a game that wasnt half as good as the previous one...

  • Lancezh #51 11 months ago

    I really hope you start to read these comments Peter. Since you are so upbeat about games do this:

    Write your statements as you always do. Then Press Ctrl + A. Hit Delete. Then send whats left to the press. Thats what you should do. You manage to be the biggest let down in terms of promises that i could think of. You're a brilliant politican.

  • Nylz #52 11 months ago

    He's making me cry already.

  • TruSmiles #53 11 months ago

    I loved Fable 2, but this sounds awfully familiar. Pets we want to love, emotion we're going to feel. As much as I liked the gameplay, I was never emotionally attached to my dog or other characters. I felt more emotion in Child of Eden recently.

  • Tryhard #54 11 months ago

    "He's going to have so much feeling for you."'I am not getting in bed with no horse.

  • monkfishjoe #55 11 months ago

    I'm being thick here, so apologies, but what is BC please?

  • darleysam #56 11 months ago

    Horse is gonna die, right?

  • agparrot #57 11 months ago

    When are they going to realise that saying they have 'super secret' projects, or announcing games without any actual details is the OPPOSITE OF EXCITING?

  • Bennicus #58 11 months ago

    The more secret it is the better game it will be, I'm sure.

  • HarryTuttle #59 11 months ago

    Secret new Lionhead project "Press X to Win" unveiled!

    Features a revolutionary new gameplay style! Designed to allow unfettered accessibility, "Press X to Win" will ensure that even drunk quadraplegics using one pus encrusted eyelid can see the adventure through! Alternate Kinect control options allow the hyper-immersive new modes "Burp to Win" and "Twitch-Spasmodically to Win"! Includes a digital animal!
    Edited by HarryTuttle at 01/07/11 @ 12:29

  • Octoroc #60 11 months ago

    "I'm being thick here, so apologies, but what is BC please?"

    Click here.

  • Kikizosan #61 11 months ago

    "Spoiler: The horse will die."

    But only if you don't fork out for the horse armour DLC.

  • Tryhard #62 11 months ago

    Peter name the horse Milo."Do it.Do it Now!"

  • Rack #63 11 months ago

    Even if some magical conflux made Kinect compatible with this country, worth owning and The Journey worth bothering with that horse is just something to beat senseless to get through the game quicker.

  • PixelPirate #64 11 months ago

    Write your statements as you always do. Then Press Ctrl + A. Hit Delete. Then send whats left to the press...

    I pressed Ctrl + D by mistake and self destructed my chest :sadface:

    //poor Syndicate reference

  • darc #65 11 months ago

    "Think about combining the creature from Black and White, the dog from Fable and my hamster from when I was a child."

    But I hardly know the hamster from when you were a child.

    "I definitely want to make you cry"

    That explains Fable 3, then.

  • man.the.king #66 11 months ago

    @Murton

    I haven't completed Infamous 2 yet (currently still on first playthrough - Good on Normal difficulty), but for me the original Infamous was quite successful at evoking some reaction, especially because the game took time to get you used to all the characters (main as well as supporting) so that when pivotal characters are involved in impossible choices (the mission with the doctors and...), you actually want nothing to happen to them. And the ending was fantastic! Certainly better than many Hollywood mind-benders.

  • Murton #67 11 months ago

    @man.the.king - you'll love the endings in Infamous 2 then. I almost put the controller down on the evil playthrough because I couldn't bring myself to disappoint Zeke after the good playthrough. That's definitely the order to do it in the by the way, good first and evil second.

    Infamous 2's endings were more emotionally charged than Heavy Rain's, which is quite an achievement given that HR was designed to deliver drama and storytelling and Infamous 2 is an action game.

  • JorgeLuisBorges #68 11 months ago

    the outspoken industry veteran

    Just because you speak a lot of crap doesnt make you outspoken.

  • monkfishjoe #69 11 months ago

    Cheers Octoroc