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Peter Molyneux is concerned about over-promising on Godus

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And he promised us even more tears! Tsk.

Peter Molyneux hasn’t had it easy as of late. The last couple of years have seen his grand ideas for gaming turn out to be nothing more than mediocre promises, but honestly, we should be used to that by now. Striking out on his own with a new studio, 22 Cans, the latest Molyneux game, Curiosity, hasn’t been well received. Blame that on bad design and server issues, something that a tearful Molyneux believes will hurt his next game, Godus.

Speaking to RPS, Molyneux got all emotional about his upcoming take on recreating and expanding on the formula laid down by Populous back in 1989. Problem is, Molyneux has realised that the launch of Cube has been “a disaster”, which he knows will impact on that game.

“I can’t blame people for not believing. I know I’ve said things. I wish I could not say them, I guess. I just… I still believe so much” Molyneux said.

I swore that when we started 22 Cans that we wouldn’t over-promise, and I guess through stupid mistakes we have. I have to live by those. If it means that the project doesn’t get Kickstarted, if it means that people use the Kickstarter to vent their frustrations, then I guess I have to live by that.

Curiosity is a terrible game. Built on massive promises and a tendency for gamers to go into OCD mode with tapping, it would have been an OK title had it not been for the fact that all the rewards and currency generated in that game would vanish quicker than a free buffet meal at parliament.

Molyneux blamed all that on the fact that his studio was unprepared for the influx of gamers that it would attract with Curiosity;

We were not prepared for the numbers that hit our app. I can be as proud as I like about how hard people have worked and how quickly they’ve implemented a completely new server system – it’s miraculous – but at the end of the day I have to put my hand on my heart and say ‘it’s not good enough’. And it isn’t good enough.

You’re damn right that it’s not good enough. As consistent as he is with promising too much, Molyneux always manages to attract gamers to his projects, and in all honesty, he should have been prepared for this all along.

And how hard is it to actually just say to people, “this is what we’re making, this is what it will be”, without hyperbolising the hell out of it? I’m not buying these crocodile tears anymore, enough is enough.

You want to know why developers like Tim Schafer and Chris Roberts are successful with their Kickstarter drives? Because they’ve earned that trust from gamers. I’d take a gamble on a Schafer designed rhythm farting game for an iOS platform any day of the week before I buy into what Molyneux is peddling this month.

But hey, if you want to support him, go right ahead. That’s your choice.

Last Updated: November 23, 2012

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