Peter Molyneux recently announced his new game, Masters of Albion, at Gamescom, hinting it might be his last creation.
During an interview, Peter shared that he might be in his late ’60s by the time Masters of Albion is finished, and making another game would mean working into his mid-70s. He mentioned, “My life expectancy is measured in days rather than years because of my lifestyle. I smoke and drink and don’t sleep enough.” He felt a strong desire to return to PC and console gaming, aiming to create something special for gamers.
Peter’s independent studio 22cans, known for mobile games like The Trail and Godus, has left him disillusioned with mobile gaming due to its formulaic nature for monetization. This realization at age 60 led him to think this might be his last project. “I’ll be found dead one morning with my head pressed against the keyboard,” he said humorously.
In a chat with IGN, Peter explained using the term Albion in his new game. Albion refers to Great Britain historically and isn’t owned by Microsoft through Fable. He likened it to setting a game in America and then saying no other games can be set there. He admitted uncertainty about trademarking Albion but hasn’t spent time with lawyers over it.
Microsoft holds the rights to the Fable series but allowed Flaming Fowl Studios to create Fable Fortune years ago, which has since shut down. If legal issues arise from using Albion, Peter will address them when they come. For now, he’s thrilled about Masters of Albion as it builds on the worlds he created in Fable but isn’t a direct sequel. The game’s humor is a key element he wanted to maintain.
Fans sometimes feel let down by promises made by developers.
Peter acknowledged his history of overpromising in an interview with PCGamesN. He’s “so, so, so sorry” for overhyping features that didn’t exist and apologized to disappointed players. Now, he’s focused on only discussing things he can show.
His previous project, Curiosity: What’s inside the Cube?, also faced backlash when the promised “life-changing” reward was never delivered to the winner (source: https://www.eurogamer.net/the-god-who-peter-molyneux-forgot).
