Lionhead's Peter Molyneux Interview

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Eurogamer: There seems to be a lot of MMO mechanics in Fable 2. Are MMOs something you've been thinking about recently?

Peter Molyneux: [Gestures to PR] Well, there's someone in this room to make sure that I don't say too much about that question. I have been looking at MMOs. I love the interaction, and I'm fascinated by the idea of really feeling secure and cool enough to actually do it.

Eurogamer: Have you thought about making an MMO, and about what a Lionhead MMO would look like?

Peter Molyneux: Yes.

Eurogamer: And you can't answer the question...?

Peter Molyneux: No.

Eurogamer: You said that you spoke to the press too much during the build-up to Fable, and you've tried to say less during Fable 2. Has this worked?

Peter Molyneux: We'll have to see. When I talk to the press this time, I've tried to always show what I'm talking about: Here's the dog, here's one button combat. When you get the box, you're not going to say, "You bastard! You told me about this bloody acorn I could plant to grow a tree! Now where is it?"

You've got to remember that the press I do isn't some deeply thought-out strategy. It's just some kid showing his toys off. There's no long-term press strategy here, and that's the problem. People thought I was hyping Fable. I wasn't, I was just getting bloody excited about it.

Eurogamer: Do your team get a bit nervous when you go out to talk to the press?

Peter Molyneux: Oh, you have no idea. There were people who would literally come and shout in my face and say, "What the hell are you doing? You can't do this to us!" I would turn around and say, "I'm sorry, all I'm doing is telling them what I'm excited about; don't worry about it." When I'm sitting down and talking to someone, I've got to think about why I'm telling you things. I'd love to tell you about our next game now, but that would be the wrong thing to do.

There should be more orange in games.

Eurogamer: You're a high-profile figure in an industry that still doesn't have very many--

Peter Molyneux: Well, of course, you know why? This is my conspiracy theory: the last thing the publishers want is high-profile figures, because it works counter to everything that they do. What does a high-profile person do? They either go mad, or they leave, or they start developing a game that the publisher doesn't want to promote, and it takes the power away from the publishers. That's why you don't see high-profile figures at companies like EA, because they can't control these people. I'm going to get in trouble now - publishers are wonderful and I really like them.

Eurogamer: Because you are high-profile, your games often grow up in public - is that a problem?

Peter Molyneux: It's a mixed blessing. On balance it's a fantastic opportunity and I thank everybody who's interested in what I say. But there are some things where you think, does it have to be like this? But if I phoned you up and said, "I'm a designer, I've got a game idea," you'd probably say, "No thanks." If I phone you up and say, "I'm Peter Molyneux, I've got a new game idea," you'd probably be interested. And that is a massive, massive advantage.

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