Fable II Preview

VideoGamer.com: Will there be a co-op marriage option?

PM: You know that was a feature that I should have thought about. And I know it sounds dumb but I didn't. It didn't really occur to me. I don't know why. But it's the first thing that everybody asks, is can you get married? And unfortunately not, no.

VideoGamer.com: Is there anything you would have liked to have included in Fable 2 that's likely to appear instead in Fable 3?

PM: Well there were a load of features that we experimented in the early days that never went anywhere. There were things like wolves and horses and carriages and a huge crime system, all of which may resurface in Fable 3.

VideoGamer.com: Is it possible for you to return to B.C and bring that out in the future?

PM: Well B.C has not been killed forever. It is one of the designs that we have on our shelf and we might pull it down from that shelf at any time.

VideoGamer.com: You've said your next project is more frightening than Fable II. Can you elaborate?

PM: I can't. I got enormously told off for just saying that. I can't really say any more. If it was up to me I would tell you all about it. But don't forget my rule now is I won't talk about something unless I can actually show it, and I can't quite show it to you yet. It should be ready some time early next year to show off. It is pretty amazing. Well it is incredibly amazing, actually. I was just demoing it just before this call to someone, but it is just incredible.

VideoGamer.com: Does anyone call you Dr. Molyneux, given that you have an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Southampton?

PM: I've got a few of those things now actually, which is an amazing honour to get. I always feel a bit like an imposter when I get them. I've got a Doctorate from Abertay Dundee, Bournemouth, Surrey and Southampton University. And no-one ever calls me Doctor Molyneux. If they did perhaps they should call me Doctor Doctor Doctor Doctor Molyneux, but no-one ever calls me that.

VideoGamer.com: Do you miss the days and late nights of being buried deep in code programming your own games or do you prefer your current executive oriented role?

PM: I miss programming like a junkie misses drugs. Like an alcoholic misses alcohol. I'm always going to miss it. If I get a free moment I start to dabble around with code again; I get terribly involved again. I do miss it but for me the world goes dim from a keyboard. It's just fantastic nowadays to feel that you've got a team of people around you who listen to what you're saying, and enjoys talking through problems. That's nice. It's not like the old days. The way I think about it is, if I was an alcoholic, programming was like drinking neat vodka. Where now I'm not a programmer any more it's like Elderflower cordial. It's very nice and refreshing and lovely but it's not that hard-hitting coding.

VideoGamer.com: If license issues could be resolved what one game from your back catalogue would you return to?

PM: I think it would probably be Syndicate or Populous again.

VideoGamer.com: What are the license issues surrounding those games? Could you ever return to those games?

PM: No. The rights are completely with EA. They're hardly going to pick up the phone and say: 'Hi Peter. Why not do these games?" They'd want to keep it for themselves I would suspect.

VideoGamer.com: How would you feel if EA got a developer to make a downloadable remake of one of your old classics?

PM: Oh I'd love it. It would be fantastic. I've got no qualms whether somebody else is doing it. I'd just love to see it updated, the concept kept alive. It would be second best but it would still be great.

VideoGamer.com: That's great Peter. Thank you so much for your time.

Fable II is due out exclusively for Xbox 360 on October 24.