Peter Molyneux has been a positive influence on the games industry, creating iconic games such as Populous, Theme Park, Black & White, and Fable. He has never stood still, preferring instead to be innovative rather than do the same old thing everybody else is.
He is now a vocal supporter of Kinect, the Wii, and even the iPad, all of which offer new ways for gamers to interact with their digital domains. He is such a fan that he has a kind of hatred towards the handheld, button-enabled controllers most of us still use.
In a recent chat with the Official Xbox 360 Magazine, Molyneux said:
“I just don’t know if I can go back and do another controller-based game. I don’t really know if I can, because it just feels so old school … Going back to that very constrained controller; I’m not sure I will want to … It does feel like when you’ve experimented so much with so many interesting things and then have to take a step backwards again – I don’t know, it just feels odd … Controllers are brilliant for doing first-person shooters. That’s it.”
Controllers ARE brilliant for first-person shooters, that cannot be denied. But are they useless for everything else? I’m not convinced, although I am mindful that motion control is clearly the way forward. But for the hardcore to jump on board the technology will have to improve.
Molyneux may not want to develop any more controller-based games, but most gamers still prefer them. Meaning he is immediately shunning his potential market.
