There are few more famous faces in videogaming than Peter Molyneux, formerly of Lionhead Studios, the creator of Fable and Black and White, and now of 22cans. Known for his hand in several legendary series – and his penchant for overpromising – Molyneux has been a little quiet of late. He’s since apologized for his earlier behaviour, and claims he won’t make the same mistakes with Masters of Albion, 22cans’ new strategy game. But his reputation as an overpromiser did give us one great gift: a parody account known as Peter Molydeux.
Managed by videogame artist Adam Capone and born from a love of Molyneux’s games (Theme Park in particular), the account is a love letter to the Fable creator’s seemingly limitless ambition and quirky personality – with a little bit of spice thrown in for good measure.
“Imagine a game” became a staple on avid followers’ timelines, comically mimicking Molyneux’s signature, hyperbolic style. The account went viral in 2012, leading to a brief shutdown from then-Twitter for policy-breaking impersonation. Not to be deterred, however, in 2012 Capone spearheaded the Molyjam, which Molyneux eventually made an appearance at. Initially, the Lionhead boss disapproved of the account, but by that fated, chaotic March weekend in 2012, all had been forgiven.
The account has continued to post regularly over the years, but as of Tuesday, January 13, Capone has confirmed that he’s stepping away from Peter Molydeux, writing his “last and final tweet.”
“I’ve been thinking about abandoning this spoof account for a while now. Mostly because I’m done with Twitter and this account has been the only real reason I’ve logged in over the last few years,” he begins. “But there’s a more interesting reason too: things have changed.” Capone tracks the progress that videogames have made over the years, noting that “games evolved to the point where the ideas I was parodying were no longer outside the box.
“I never thought I’d cut ties with this account. But after reading Peter Molyneux recently saying his upcoming game would be his last, it does feel like the right moment. It’s still surreal to remember being invited to a photoshoot with the very person I was spoofing.
“I think the industry lost something when Molyneux vowed never to speak on stage again,” he muses. “Over time, that kind of unfiltered excitement has been replaced by carefully rehearsed pitches and bullet points. Fewer people go off-cue. Fewer let passion drive the conversation rather than marketing.
“I hope every generation creates its own Molyneuxs. Joseph Fares at Hazelight reminds me an early Molyneux, ie developers who get carried away talking about their ‘baby’ instead of selling a product. I’ll always be grateful for Molyneux and what he gave to the industry.” Ironically, Fares literally encouraged triple-A developers to stop jumping on trends not even 24 hours before Capone’s post.
“As the industry continues through a difficult period (I recently lost my job when Ubisoft Halifax shut down), I still believe games will keep evolving in the right ways,” Capone continues. “Creative risks (not technology or metrics) are what truly push the medium forward. Looking back over the last two decades, we now have far more flavors of games, for far wider audiences, than we did in 2009.
“As the industry inevitably rebuilds, I’m convinced it’ll be the small, weird games from over-excited enthusiastic designers in control of their games as they continue creating new experiences and nudging us forward, step by (baby?) step.” I’m not crying. You are.
But, for what it’s worth, I’ve been watching Capone’s account for years. As a young, fantasy-obsessed gamer who fell in love with Fable (2, in particular) from the moment she first stepped foot in Albion, it’s bittersweet to see Peter Molydeux finally retire. But, if Masters of Albion’s trailers are anything to go by, the real Molyneux is going out with quite the bang, and I hope that 22cans’ latest brings back the god game in a big way. We need them, and man do we deserve them – just imagine a game that…
