200°

Molyneux: 'Enjoy the indie craze, because it won't last'

Peter Molyneux, the games development veteran who co-founded 22 Cans, believes the industry should enjoy the thriving indie scene now "because it won't last."

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computerandvideogames.com
amnalehu3690d ago

Sooooo.... fun cheap games made by small studios won't last? Since when was having fun a fad?

xHeavYx3690d ago

Don't bother, it's just Molyneaux crying for attention

DeadRabbits3690d ago (Edited 3690d ago )

The guy has a chronic case of verbal diarrhoea!

Eonjay3690d ago

Agreed. Are people suddenly gonna stop making games... No one told me. I'm working on one right now... Oh well. Let me delete my project then...

darthv723689d ago

I think what he is trying to say is, as in any sort of industry...there is a bubble. Natural growth within the bubble is one thing. but a sudden rise or heavy influx within the bubble can cause it to burst.

There are some really talented indies out there but they put the time and effort to release a quality product while others are jumping onto the scene for a shot at the $$ this scene is producing.

Sure every company wants $$ but if the end result is at the cost of the gamers buying into inferior products then that bubble will burst sooner than expected. Keep in mind that some of the biggest devs out there started out small and had to build a name for themselves.

the indies that have a genuine interest in bettering themselves will continue to release quality wares. As for the others...this is where we as gamers need to really step up our own quality control to keep the shovelware to a minimum.

i support indies and their creativity so long as they understand they too need to earn our respect and $$ through their work.

Prime1573689d ago (Edited 3689d ago )

He brings up a good point. A point in which a lot of devs who were run into the ground have hinted at being a problem too...

And I quote, "The Godus creator suggested that many small game teams could soon be transformed by the temptation of venture capital money, a move which he claimed could stifle creativity.

"Here's the thing: walk through any hotel lobby at GDC and look at people's name badges. This morning at breakfast I saw three angel investors talking to indies. They're saying, 'take my money! I want to invest in your company!'

"But what those indie companies don't realise is that they'll then have to have board meetings, and in those meetings they'll be told, 'no, you shouldn't do that - look at this game that's making money'."

Next thing you know, this indie company has hr departments and other (sometimes) stifling business concepts that they didn't once have. It forces a change.

Some overcome it, most don't.

christian hour3689d ago (Edited 3689d ago )

So did everyone just rush in here to comment without reading and understanding what he was saying? He wasn't saying indie games are goign anywhere.

They've always been around, i've been downloading little indie games for as long as I've had internet. They were never popular. I got hours out of lil games coming from Osiris Games (chart wars etc) about 14 years ago. They havent been this popular in a long long time, not since the zx spectrum craze in the UK back in the 80's. And thats all he;s tryin to say.

He's not saying indies are gonna die out, just that eventually, as with everything, the flame dies down, something else takes the forefront, indies will always be around, they just wont be at the forefront of media articles as they are now.

The fact that went over most peoples heads and they just assumed molyneux was saying "indie games will be dead soon", worries me. Learn to read and not take things out of context please.

morganfell3689d ago (Edited 3689d ago )

I did read the article and he is completely crazy.

"But what those indie companies don't realise is that they'll then have to have board meetings, and in those meetings they'll be told, 'no, you shouldn't do that - look at this game that's making money'."

So there are no more indie music artists and everyone is signed to a major label because that scene died out, correct Peter? His own analogy proves he is a loon.

No Peter, just no. If your analysis was even correct 10% of the time I might pay your words some heed. More than ever the industry is moving toward game development and publishing by Jack Nobody. Just a few years back we would never have seen dev teams of 4 or even 1 person making games. Mods yes, but not entire titles.

Everyone from Microsoft to Sony are moving toward the possibility of publishing on a small scale. The indie scale. The scale that can be wildly popular but whose board meetings happen at a coffee shop or a microbrewery, or in a basement. For everyone of those indie teams that goes mainstream and winds up signing in a highrise office, 5 more take their place.

Epic and Crytek both just instituted initiatives recently that makes mainstream development possible using tech that was only available to a handful companies just a few years ago. Epic was always more flexible if you dealt directly with Mark rather than the sales office but now it is ridiculously cheap. Steam and their Greenlight Program are another group pushing forward the ability to allow talent to reach the public free of corporate constraint.

Anyone that knows the development side of Steam realizes you can actually build your game and then run your beta tests with server support all free of charge and there are no royalties or fees due Steam until and only if you decide to publish. It's an amazing program and one which again, does not require selling your soul to the corporation.

Like social media, indie development will evolve in nature but it will continue to affect the industry with an ever more important sphere of influence.

The death of indie isn't on the horizon and its development isn't going anywhere. Winding up in that corporate board room meeting is the result of a choice by the developer rather than a situation dictated by the natural evolution of the indie development process.

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Az1mov3690d ago

Something made the man so bitter and negative about everything he talks about, who knows what?

Leroy_Jenkins3690d ago

Working for M$ will do that to you

Blaze9293690d ago (Edited 3690d ago )

@amnalehu lets not pretend, no one gave a real hoot about indies before Sony's PS4 E3 conference.

I agree with him, it's just a phase. Something to talk about vs the other company.

But when it comes down to it, no one bought an Xbox One or PS4 for indie games. Some may be checking for it but lettucebereality, most aren't.

Give it a year or two and we'll be talking about something else. Probably VR headsets

No one is saying indies will go away, but the craze definitely will. I found it ridiculous they got so much attention during Sony's PS4 conference over the more heavy games. But that's just me and my disinterest of most indie titles.

All we see now is XboxID and "x developer says" now adays - when did we start to care so much about indie developers? I really must have missed that mark...

@Taislin - people have been playing indies on PC for years, whats your point? That they all a sudden are SUPER interested in them more than ever now?

@BlackTar187

"The truth is Xbox crowd are the ones who overly pumped up indies last gen and now to them they don't matter as much cuz sony is big pro indie. "

http://marketplace.xbox.com...

I doubt that bro. Over 3,000+ indie titles and most being garbage are nothing to brag about. Stop making stuff up. You just completely went off topic about exclusives like I cared. I dont.

Taislin3690d ago

Actually loads and loads of people do. Just not console only gamers. Most people that game on PC love and have played several indies.

BlackTar1873690d ago (Edited 3690d ago )

@Blaze
"lets not pretend, no one gave a real hoot about indies before Sony's PS4 E3 conference. "

Let's laugh at this a little bit.

The truth is Xbox crowd are the ones who overly pumped up indies last gen and now to them they don't matter as much cuz sony is big pro indie.

The xbox crowd spent the last 8 years telling everyone Exclusives don;t matter since Multiplat sells more. Now fast forward and exclusives are so important because xbox one has 1 ONE more retail exclusive. Just like last gen Xbox crowd spent all those years yelling games were inferior on ps3 to 360 becasue of a missing cloud or missing grass or some other ridiculous small issue you couldn't see in Real time. Xbox crowd single handed got multiple comparison sites to open and stay in business. Now it all doesn't matter.

Your nonsense about sony people not caring** is just that NONSENSE.

PS people loved the indies on ps3 and you're just being difficult.

Dead Nation
Flower
Retro City Rampage
Journey
Super Stardust HD
Guacamelee
Pixeljunk

Baka-akaB3690d ago

That's bull ... people were getting crazy over indies before people started hyping XBLA or PSN stuff .

PC world actually had multiple phases of excitement over those , going as far back as the era of Sharewares .

Japan always had its whole entire genre for it , doujin games and yearly conventions .

scott1823690d ago

@Blaze929

I can't tell if you are being serious or sarcastic.... I don't know how someone could honestly say what you said seriously, unless they had something financial to gain by indies being a "fad".

Minecraft is indie... So many great, fun experiences are from indie devs. I hope for gamers sakes that indie isn't a fad.

Spinal3689d ago

@blaze, seriously you shouldn't talk unless you know what the fuck you're talking about.

Indies were huge before your silly new consoles that have no games. Minecraft, walking dead which won game of the year 2012. Terraria an Magicka. Just a few of the many games that were huge on PC before consoles got a port.

And right now I'm heading back to enjoy my Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls expansion :)

BlackTar1873689d ago

LOL @ you blaze.

LOL at you indeed.

I didn't go off topic what i said was relevant in making my point about how often the Pro XBox only crowd move the line in the sand. It's PS has no games to PS multi plats have marginally less impressive graphics to indies are super awesome to the new mantra which i hope i don't need to repeat. It's hilarious and tiring.

You are over exaggerating the level of excitement for indies. But i mean i guess that's par for the course.

DigitalRaptor3689d ago

Blaze, you are so off-point, I'm not even going to bother giving you the benefit of education.

You are delusional to the point of downplaying the "budget" of a game and making up crap to justify your agenda.

incredibleMULK3689d ago

Limbo was good. Galaga legions was fun. I agree with you indies will always be around, but the hype will die down. Well put. So many disagrees, I think you made a good point.

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3-4-53689d ago

Just like Moly's new "good idea", it won't last long.

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sam_job3690d ago

another out of context words from the mouth of outspoken Molyneux

SpiralTear3690d ago

Pete, genres are not the same as business models. Indies are going to be fine for a good long while, especially with the growing indie support from console makers.

Dark113690d ago

I never played indie games and never found them interesting to say at least but i still think they’re here to stay.

KonsoruMasuta3690d ago

Odds are, you have played an indie game before but haven't noticed it. When people picture and indie developer, they picture a four man team that has little cash and resources. This isn't always the case. There are some big names that work independently.

3690d ago
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230°

Peter Molyneux's new game is set in Fable's Albion

Project currently codenamed MOAT.

JusttJD0099199d ago

M.O.A.T

Misleader of all time?

jznrpg199d ago (Edited 199d ago )

It’s between him and Phil. I’d vote Phil

Obscure_Observer198d ago

"It’s between him and Phil. I’d vote Phil"

If Phil were the man that made my life miserable, I would vote for him as well.

Regarding the topic, it could be both Peter and Phil working together.

M.O.A.T takes place in Albion, so it´s possible that Pete is working on new partnership with Xbox, which imo, is nothing but great news!

GhostScholar198d ago

What exactly has Phil mislead about? I can’t wait to hear the verbal diarrhea you come with.

Cacabunga198d ago

Still waiting for Milo and Kate.. most lmao game OAT

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Becuzisaid199d ago

Wait.

His name is still used as a selling point for new games? Seriously?

jznrpg199d ago

If anyone knows his name you have to be extremely skeptical that what he delivers will be anything like what he says it would be and that’s best case scenario.

RaiderNation199d ago

He's like the "Tom Clancy" of video games.

InUrFoxHole199d ago

Lol what the hell man?!?!?

Number1TailzFan199d ago

I remember Black & White (PC) but other than that I can only think of Fable, B&W was a pretty cool game tho at the time.

sagapo199d ago

Populous was another one designed by Peter, released before B&W, godlike game as well, pretty good too.

Giblet_Head199d ago

I quite liked Magic Carpet growing up.

Obscure_Observer198d ago (Edited 198d ago )

"His name is still used as a selling point for new games? Seriously?"

The guy is a gaming legend for gamers who actually knows and played his games, like Dungeon Keeper, Populous, Black & White and Fable for example.

Becuzisaid198d ago

I'm certain that most who actually know who he is would contest your use of legend. He's the living, human embodiment of false advertising.

Obscure_Observer198d ago

@Becuzisaid

There´s an abyss between false advertisement and bad games.

Most gamers will get excited for games from great gaming creators rather than focus on their exaggerated promises.

Kojima described his Xbox exclusive game as "very unusual like no one has ever experienced before, leveraging the cloud." He said all publishers he presented the project, called him mad and rejected his game but Microsoft, because it´s too crazy.

Is Kojima exaggerating? Obviously. It´s gonna be a bad game? Hardly.

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TheColbertinator199d ago

Imagine a game where Peter Molyneux presents an extraordinary set of ideas that players will enjoy for years to come. Now imagine that this particular game will come out because it will never exist.

Profchaos199d ago

Does Milo live under a bridge there

shinoff2183199d ago

Captain overseller is returning. Ain't heard his name in years.

shinoff2183198d ago

Peter was overselling games way way before cdprojectred, and bethesada

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230°

Peter Molyneux has high hopes for Playground's Fable

One of the biggest reveals at this year's Xbox Games Showcase was the latest Fable trailer. After a lengthy stint of silence, Playground Games gave us a look at bits of the title, albeit in a trailer that was mostly made up of CGI nonsense headlined by comedian Richard Ayoade, who is playing a rather frustrated giant.

Molyneux asked about what he thought about the Fable reveal.

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gamereactor.eu
4Sh0w300d ago

Damm thats a name I haven't heard from in what seems like since forever.

Nebaku300d ago

And we thank the lord each day.

Michiel1989300d ago

he actually was in the news every now and then with a (couple) scam games he made

Double_O_Revan300d ago

The exact same thought came to mind when I read the headline. It's been so long since we've heard his lies and over ambitions.

300d ago Replies(7)
Vengeance1138300d ago

A failed hack designer has high hopes for Fable lol incoming flop confirmed!

Godmars290300d ago

Well, he's not associated with it. Giving interviews talking about features never at any point mentioned with devs let alone introduced.

It might have a chance.

Godmars290300d ago

Peter Molyneux: Hideo Kojima minus ability and skill.

Godmars290300d ago

Think you mean ethics.

Also, whose defending Molyneux? Wasn't his last game a literal ripoff with him offering a prize but not giving it?

KwietStorm_BLM300d ago

I wonder if those hopes are higher or lower than Milo?

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130°

Peter Molyneux's studio 22cans suffers layoffs

From GI.biz: "UK developer 22cans has suffered a round of redundancies, GamesIndustry.biz has learned.

The studio, founded by Fable creator Peter Molyneux, has laid off multiple employees, although an exact figure has not been disclosed.

A spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, due to a number of factors including projects reaching a certain stage in their development, we can confirm that a number of roles at 22cans have been made redundant."

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gamesindustry.biz
sourOG1169d ago (Edited 1169d ago )

Doesn’t that always happen with every studio lol? Contract workers for certain stages.

kythlyn1169d ago

I'm just surprised 22cans is still in business. They aren't communicating at all with their customers and they've abandoned their games in early access. Godus is still a mess that they're happy to keep selling without support. I kickstarted that game, and I have regrets.

Skywalker3331169d ago

Indeed, I was almost certain that they had closed down sometime ago :P

sourOG1169d ago

Wow that blows. I haven’t heard anything about them either, I just figured they were quietly working on something like ken Levine’s ghost story games.

Eamon1169d ago

Seriously, what is Peter Molyneux up to these days? In his prime, he was the most famous western developer in the world. Now he's doing f all.

njitram20001169d ago

If you look at the 22cans website...mobile games apparently

MasterChief36241169d ago

People became privy to his practice of promising big and delivering small. He is the perennial example of an artist that has huge ambition but not the resolve to follow through with those promises. I don't dislike him, as he has brought us some good games. But he is a constant punchline for me when I think of developers getting high and mighty.

Jericho13371169d ago

I saw an interview a few years ago saying he was inspired by the mobile gaming market and that anyone can become a “gamer”.

Such a shame, for all his critics he’s brought us some fantastic games and I’m sure he’d still be able to contribute something to the core gaming market.

lonewolf101169d ago

I'm surprised that they are still going to be honest.

fitofficial1169d ago (Edited 1169d ago )

They're not actually layoffs, they're fantastical multi-faceted journeys into lands of unimaginable unemployment giving the worker near-infinite freedom of choice.

jznrpg1169d ago

Yes . Classic Peter Molyneux

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