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Molyneux, mo' problems

"Time travel is absolutely possible."

Ellie Gibson avatar
Interview by Ellie Gibson Contributor
Updated on
121 comments

Yes, he's back once again, with the ill behaviour, power to the Peter. When it comes to revealing secrets, dropping hints and giving opinions about proprietary technology, the Lionhead Studios boss is a renegade master. Seems like you just can't keep a good Molyneux down.

But you can try, which is why there were at least two PR executives on constant guard during our recent chat with him. (We're pretty sure there was a sniper hiding in a cupboard.) And why they gave us strict instructions, before we even entered the room, not to ask Molyneux about Milo and Kate. Read on to discover what we found to talk about instead.

Eurogamer I've been told I'm not allowed to ask you about Milo and Kate.
Peter Molyneux

You can ask me anything you like about Milo and Kate. But I can only answer in a very limited way.

Eurogamer Is it a game? Is it coming to market?
Peter Molyneux

So here's the thing. Let's be completely honest about this. You know me, I would talk about it before I had the idea. If I had an idea for a game, I'd talk to you about it down the bar before I'd even talked to a member of the team.

But that's the wrong thing to do. The trouble is that Milo is so... It's an interactive story, it's redefining what you think of as interactive story-telling, and it's so new and different than anything else we've ever done before.

Actually putting a release date on it, or saying whether it's a product, reduces our freedom to develop it. Because if I started giving you a date... You know, you can't put a date on something like that.

It's almost certainly time Peter got some more up-to-date press pictures done.
Eurogamer Date, SCHMATE.
Peter Molyneux

Yeah.

Eurogamer OK. But let me just ask you this: will I be able to buy it in the shops at some point in the future?
Peter Molyneux

Of course! I wouldn't be working on it if I didn't hope that to be true, yes.

Eurogamer Fair enough. See, that's all we want to know!
Peter Molyneux

But, you know, these things... When you're working on an adventure... Like, say I said to you, 'I'm working on a time machine.' You'd ask me the same question - will I be able to buy it down Radio Shack in two years time?

Eurogamer Actually I'd say, 'Can I have a go?'
Peter Molyneux

Of course you would. And I would be happy, completely happy for you to come down and have a go. If it was off the record.

Eurogamer That's no good, is it? What about Milo? So that's my headline: '"I would let you have a go of my time machine," says Molyneux.'
Peter Molyneux

Exactly. And you'd say to me, 'Is it going to be a product'? And I'd say, 'Yeah, of course. I wouldn't be working on it if I didn't believe in it.'

But, you know, there are many things which can go wrong between coming up with an idea and it being finished.

Eurogamer So what you're basically saying is, you believe time travel to be a very real possibility.
Peter Molyneux

Time travel is absolutely possible. It can be mathematically proven.

An artist's impression of a typical scene in Peter Molyneux's office.
Eurogamer Where would you go if you had a time machine? Would you go back and look at dogs through the ages?
Peter Molyneux

I would just go back about a hundred years and become one of the most awesomely rich and powerful people in the world. I would use that power and wealth in many spectacular ways.

Eurogamer So you'd be like yourself, but in olden days?
Peter Molyneux

Yeah. Enormously wealthy, hugely influentially powerful, and I would probably destroy humankind.

Eurogamer On that note, shall we talk about your new videogame, Fable III?
Peter Molyneux

Yes.

Eurogamer I asked the readers, via Twitter, if they had any questions they'd like me to ask you. In fact, I asked you if you had any questions you'd like me to ask you. You ignored me.
Peter Molyneux

Did you? Oh, well I don't look at Twitter now. Because I'm not really allowed to Twitter, unless it's been approved.

Eurogamer You've been disconnected from the social network!
Peter Molyneux

If I were you, I would ask, 'Are there any features you haven't talked about?'

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