Peter Molyneux was ‘tempted to retire’ after ‘bruising’ interview
Fable designer Peter Molyneux admits he was “tempted to retire” following the Godus controversy of 2015.
Peter Molyneux has had an interesting couple of years. In 2015, Molyneux found himself amidst a huge controversy regarding his latest game, Godus.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Molyneux reflects on the development of Godus, and how at times he was “tempted to retire” under the pressure.
“It was one of the most bruising moments of my life,” Molyneux said. “My world changed after that interview.”
The interview Molyneux refers to is the infamous Rock, Paper Shotgun piece. The interview paints Molyneux as a “pathological liar” with “no reputation in this industry anymore.”
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Following the interview, Molyneux asked himself whether he should keep working in the industry.
“That was the point where I said, this is just not going to work,” Molyneux explained. “To be called a pathological liar, which he said at the start… it’s just not going to work, because how do you ever gain people’s trust and belief after a journalist says that?”
“That interview started just like any other interview. You know, ‘We’d like a word with you about Godus.’ So the whole of the interview was just a shock. And then afterwards, it was a really tough couple of days.”
Molyneux claims he couldn’t retire, unable to leave behind his development team and their unfinished game.
However, some members of 22Cans did leave following the controversy. Jack Attridge, the co-creator of Godus, and Molyneux’s “protege” was one of them.
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Yesterday, Molyneux announced and released Godus Wars, a new game now available on Steam as an early-access title.
Godus Wars is touted as the “solution” to Godus, blending together elements of the god-game genre with traditional RTS mechanics.
It will be free for those who owned Godus previously, and £10.99 for everyone else.
Related: Best Games of 2015
To close the Eurogamer interview, Molyneux looks back at 2015, and his plans for the future.
“Last year was a horrible year. Going through all that sh**,” he said. “If you want to look at the view from the top of the mountain you’ve got to climb it. The harder the climb, the better the view.”
Be sure to check out the full interview. It’s a fantastic read, and an interesting dive into the troubled creation of Godus.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.