Molyneux: Microsoft was a 'creative padded cell;' 22 Cans will see his 'best' game ever
Peter Molyneux, creator of Fable and famously parodied developer, left Microsoft and Lionhead Studios last month to establish 22 Cans, a brand new development house. 22 Cans marks Molyneux's fifth studio founding, but there's something different about this one, he told Develop:
"I believe it has all led me to this point. I believe the greatest game I've ever made is still ahead of me."
Molyneux is adamant that he is building something special with 22 Cans, in both the structure of the company and the games it will produce. So far he has co-founder and former Lionhead programmer Dimitri Mavrikakis, data miner Paul Knight and IT director Tim Rance on board, but Molyneux is looking to have 22 people total from various industries, including architects, veterans, fresh faces and people who know nothing about the video game world.
These people will help Molyneux make his "best" game ever; a game he couldn't create while at Microsoft. "I was in a creative padded cell," Molyneux said. "Microsoft was so safe. Microsoft was so nice. You're so supported. Everything I did couldn't hurt me, both creatively and physically. The danger was long gone. I had this huge desire to make something truly special, and I felt like I was being suffocated creatively a little bit."
22 Cans' title will be an inherent, accessible and challenging multiplayer that doesn't lose its appeal after a few months -- he uses Draw Something as an example of a game that does. Molyneux's masterpiece will be more of a hobby than a game, he said, citing Minecraft as a direct inspiration.
22 Cans is currently seed funded, but will be seeking a venture-captial partner "in a matter of months," Monlyneux said, and he is currently on the hunt for employees. Monlyneux recognizes he only has a few chances to make the "greatest" game he's ever created, but he's ready.
"Well I'm 52 years old," he said. "I have a strange attitude to life. I consider it a marathon that you've got to keep pushing yourself through. I just hope I'm coming near the end of it. I couldn't do another 26 miles. I'd like to think I'm coming into the stadium now. Just a couple of laps around the track, and I'll be done."
