The master of the
God game genre, founder member of
Bullfrog Productions and creator of
Populous. Had a hand in many great Bullfrog games including
Powermonger,
Syndicate,
Magic Carpet and
Dungeon Keeper. Well known for his attention to detail and somewhat indulgent media profile. Now working at
Lionhead Studios on
Black & White. Although Bullfrog were one of the most consistently successful and original games companies of the
1990s, there is a substantial
backlash underway based on the patchy quality of later games (
Syndicate Wars,
Theme Park), the continual re-hashing of the Populous theme and PM's love-affair with
Edge magazine and
Sony. A famous anecdote from the time of
Populous 2 recounts that he would sit for interviews and answer "yes" to all questions about his forthcoming game's capabilities, then redesign the game to incorporate them. For far more cynical needling of this industry "icon", check out
Old Man Murray.
Molyneux certainly knows how to design a complex strategy 'eco-system', but has rather lost the plot in terms of making enjoyable games as anyone who has endured Black & White will attest.