Youâve read the fluffy reasons Peter Molyneux left Lionhead, the studio he built, and Microsoft along with it. The general stuff. Itâs important to know, sure, but I like the raw specifics a bit better.
In another post-Microsoft interview, this time with Develop, Molyneux says it was all about the chairs.
I had this unbelievable desire to make something special. Of course I didnât have the idea for the game itself, partly because when youâre at Microsoft any idea you have is property of Microsoft.
But then, this terrible thing happened to me.
One day I was at the studio sitting on my chair, in the zone, my eyes closed, my headphones on, blaring music in, trying to think of ideas for Fable The Journey.
Suddenly I felt my chair move. I looked around. Standing there was the Microsoft chair adjustment personnel, this nice woman who comes over once a month, fiddling with my seat settings to make sure it was posturepedically correct.
I thought; this is insane.
If youâve never worked in a large office before (and from the comments it seems a lot of you know what heâs talking about), these people do indeed exist. Itâs cheaper to pay them a salary than to pay someone with a bad back claiming a mint on workerâs comp.
I hope she doesnât feel too bad. Itâs the game he hated, not the player!
Unless she doesnât even exist, and was instead a metaphor for executive meddling. In which case, being a construct of Molyneuxâs imagination, she wonât feel much of anything at all!
Molyneux: This is my last chance [Develop]
