We haven't heard from Peter Molyneux in a while. The creative game designer has been laying low after a few missteps with some projects at his new studio 22Cans. But now Molyneux is back, and this time he's talking about Fable 4.

Games Radar posted up the interview from OXM where Molyneux talked about his career, his time in the limelight, and the franchise that really defined how gamers saw Molyneux over the last 15 years: Fable. On the question of whether or not we could get a new Fable game, Molyneux had this to say,

The question about Fable was right there at the end of the interview, so we couldn't find out whether or not there are any efforts being put in by Molyneux or the time to get back into the good graces of Microsoft in order to make another game.

The last title that was in the works was Fable Legends, which was supposed to be a sort of hybrid, third-person MOBA hack-and-slash, multiplayer game. Things didn't really turn out so well for Lionhead Studios, who were working on the game before Microsoft pulled the plug.

They didn't really explain why things didn't work out with Fable Legends, but for the most part the community at large just didn't seem very interested. A lot of it may have been due to the fact that there were already lots of other MOBAs out there, and Fable as a brand seemed to be losing its identity.

Originally the series was known for its odd and uninhibited interactions within a sandbox-style world. It wasn't quite like GTA or True Crime or Saints Row, where there was just a giant city with cops to lay turmoil upon and citizens to run over and kill at leisure. Fable tried targeting a more grounded system of interactions with NPCs. You could talk and chat various NPCs up who had quests or goals for you, and simply walking around and exploring the town(s) opened up various activities for you to do. It was a series that was about rewarding players for interacting with the world, rather than throwing them into a sandbox where it only seems like you're being rewarded when you destroy the world.

After the lukewarm reception of Fable 3, the series tapered off and headed in the direction of Fable Legends, Microsoft and Lionhead Studios' attempt at reinvigorating the brand with something different. Things didn't quite work out and Microsoft cancelled the project while alpha testing was still taking place.

If a Fable 4 ever did happen it would likely need to head back to the roots of what made the brand popular in the first place and give gamers something more grounded in unique sandbox interactions as opposed to trying to mimic games like League of Legends or Heroes of the Storm.

Microsoft still has the rights to the property, so they're likely waiting and biding their time for the right moment to reintroduce the gaming community to the Fable brand. Maybe if Molyneux can regroup the original team it might not be outside the realm of possibility of seeing him and the rest of the group having a go at the next Fable title.

So you remember the guy who brought us that undeniably creepy and yet equally cool “Milo and Kate”? Yeah, that pedophile dream game that went missing shortly after debuting at E3. Well, the guy who made that possible is known as Peter Molyneux – a little melodramatic, a little talky, and all about “changing the world”. Molyneux, the former golden boy of the Xbox brand, has traded in his expository serenades and alluring laudation of Kinect (formerly known as Natal) for biting tones and jagged verbal jabs aimed at Microsoft's proprietary NSA spybox known as Kinect 2.0.

Rich from ReviewTech USA picked up a short-form story on Gamespot from an interview on Edge. After following a railroad of links, you'll find quotes from 22Cans' Peter Molyneux, the former head of Lionhead Studios, the same studio responsible for the Fable games, where Molyneux stated that...

Bwahaha.... oh, sorry, I suppose I should respond with a more “professional” statement. In that case: You got burned, Microsoft! Burned like the American people during the collapse of the economy at the hands of the greediest mofos on Wall Street who don't sit at a burning table and wear hooves for shoes.

Molyneux isn't entirely wrong, though, because it wasn't until the recent March update for the Xbox One did Microsoft even consider a frequency for the Xbox to output media for gamers residing in PAL territories. Even beyond adopting the 50hz output, there's nothing really there if you're not American. The TV on your TV cable functions are all mostly restricted to those living Stateside.

Molyneux doesn't end his tirade there, the Godus creator goes on to say...

Okay, now I'm going to write something a lot of people will disagree with, and it may seem contrary to what's usually said about the Xbox One and Kinect, but here goes...

Microsoft should never unbundle the Kinect from the Xbox One.

What they should do instead is get their fingers out of their dong-holes and get the NSA to stop spying on people having amateur sex and instead focus on getting out some good games for the Xbox One that fully utilizes the Kinect in ways not-possible on the Wii U or PS4.

I mean, seriously, Microsoft should send a memo to the NSA and GCHQ, and let them know that there are free, high-quality porn sites out there where they can see everything they need to see, without glaring at obese Bob spend ten minutes trying to find his hot dog while attempting to put it into buns Jim offered up to him.

However, Gamespot points out a very relevant comment from Phil Spencer, the new head of the Xbox division, where he states that the removal of Kinect isn't even the number one requested thing from Microsoft... it's great games!

I agree. I think Microsoft can justify the Xbox One and Kinect if they can at least get "great" games on the darn thing that are specifically tuned to the hardware, and make full use of the system's capabilities that can't be experienced elsewhere.

Removing Kinect effectively turns the Xbox One into the PS3.5 or the Xbox 720p... well, technically it's already the Xbox 720p. But it'll be the Xbox 720p without any balls. Well, technically, it would be the Xbox 720p without balls if they decided to remove the disc drive. So, technically, it would be more like the Xbox 720p without balls that turned vegan. Ugh... a hippy, ball-less, barely-HD game console. Microsoft should be ashamed to even consider turning the Xbox into what would be the first commie-eunuch of video game systems. They might even have to change the name to the ZTS One: The Zhongxian Toss Salad One.

Hopefully, Microsoft wises up, pumps out some games that actually work with Kinect instead of broken games like Kinect Sports Rivals or Fighter Within. They need better core-game integration and, of course, lose all that NSA sexy-time spy stuff.

I think they can make it work if they put the effort in to make the kind of games that gamers would be willing to play in correlation with the Kinect, instead of ostracizing gamers with petty casual titles like Zumba Fitness or shovelware like Kinect Star Wars.

GODUS, the new god simulator from Fable creator Peter Molyneux, is now available through Steam Early Access. Players can buy the beta version of the game now and get access to all future updates and the finished game for no additional charge. <>br>

Molyneux's new game puts you in the role of a deity watching over a group of followers. You'll shape their world and help their civilization flourish. Developer 22Cans says that the world sculpting is 90% complete so you'll be able to do a lot of pushing and pulling on your land. You'll find treasure chests by completing sculpting challenges.

You will also directly guide their followers. As god, you'll help them build settlements where they can live and worship. You'll also hand down commandments or technological advances to help them progress into new eras. Each new era will give you access to new features.

"Whilst you are free to lose yourself in this tranquil experience, other gods reign outside of the ever-expanding reach of your influence," reads the Steam description. "If you so wish, you may challenge other gods and their civilisations to epic multiplayer battles that involve hundreds of Followers fighting in your name whilst you cast devastating god powers from the skies above. As you conquer more lands, your powers will grow allowing you to nurture the advancement of your own Followers."

The multiplayer currently features three different modes and multiple maps. The online play is integrated into Steam so players can easily find opponents through a matchmaking feature. The God Powers at your disposal in the beta include "Beautify," "Champion" and "Meteor." Additional powers will be released throughout the game's development.

Godus was funded through a Kickstarter campaign in late 2012. Molyneux's studio 22Cans raised £526,563 in total for the project. By hitting several stretch goals, they were able to add co-op, first-person world crafting and user-made organizations to the game. While Steam Early Access for the game is limited to PC and Mac, 22Cans is also planning Linux, iOS, and Android versions.

It's easy for us to make fun of Peter Molyneux for all his “life changing” ideas and ridiculous over-estimations of his video game concepts, but I think it's safe to say that he and his 22Cans members have pulled through on this and Curiosity really did contain a life-changing moment.

As indicated in the video above, one lucky winner – the person who chipped away the last block on the cube – was selected to take part in 22Cans' upcoming game, Godus. The event consists of basically “crowning” the winner as just more than a king for the day. The individual actually reaps the real-life monetary benefit of 22Can's project and will be the “god” of the game, so to speak.

So who was this lucky winner to get this life-changing moment to affirm that not every flesh suit is a potential money sack to be exploited by our ever-encroaching corporately controlled society of rat-racing individuals just trying to get by and keep their necks above the drowning rim of that oh-so-expanding ocean of overwhelming societal concerns and rising costs of survival? Well, it was a dude named Bryan Henderson from Edinburgh, Scotland, as indicated in Molyneux's Tweet.

The chap has already been interviewed by several major gaming sites and he's got a rough road ahead of him full of media inquiries, interviews and a ton of pesky, out-of-work slackers who will be hitting him up for dough via Twitter because that's how hippies roll.

Anyway, Godus will be launching under the 22Cans label and it will be interesting to see how this turns out, especially after the game didn't quite get the best of welcomings from the Kickstarter community. But with Henderson at the helm and making some sweet, sweet dough off of other people's work just for chipping away at a virtual block for an hour, I'm at least interested to see how this whole little social psychology shenanigan plays out.

Former Bullfrog poster-boy and the man who always wants us “to believe” may not be all too right in the head. Peter Molyneux of 22Cans, the new indie team that recently released Curiosity for mobile devices and is now working on a Kickstarter, says that things may not be going so well if they keep heading in this direction.

The Sixth Axis picked up quotes from Molyneux during his interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, where a number of topics were discussed. The one thing that stood out above them all was a quote about Molyneux's over-ambitions and under-achievements...

Words of dolor right there. It's like Molyneux spent a day reading YouTube comments under a Justin Bieber video and then had an interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Right now, Molyneux and friends are still campaigning on Kickstarter for their god-game, Project Godus.

It's still off to a terrible start after being featured at every major gaming and news outlet around the globe, managing only £137,532 out of £450,000 over the past couple of days.

I'm not sure what they can do to win jaded gamers over but saying you may not live much longer is a good way to go.

If you're feeling bad for the man and you at least want to learn more about False Promise #937, you can learn more about Project Godus by heading to the official Kickstarter page.

Peter Molyneux and 22Cans has taken to Kickstarter. Yes, you read it right. Mr. This Will Change Your Life Molyneux has taken to Kickstarter. However, a long winded reputation of over-promising and under-delivering has resulted in his god-game idea getting off to a horribly rocky start.

When Tim Schafer took to Kickstarter he managed to get a vaguely explained adventure game funded in less than 24 hours. Brian Fargo and crew at inXile Entertainment managed to rack up $2.9 million through Kickstarter for Wasteland 2, and Obsidian garnered tons of community support for their Kickstarter Project Eternity, resulting in a massive outpouring of more than $4 million for a pseudo-sequel to Baldur's Gate.

So what happened with Molyneux? Well, for the first day on Kickstarter he was met with a lot of community criticisms. In fact, the first article I read about his Project Godus game was riddled with naysaying and jilted gamers who were jaded on the over-hype and superfluous promotion of previous Peter Molyneux titles. “Never again” they said.

Even with a humble Kickstarter video, after a day of pledging the high profile Molyneux has only managed £83,560 as of the writing of this article. If this were a no-name project from a no-name developer, that would be impressive. But this is one of the most high profile developers of all time.

I'm curious if Molyneux and crew at 22Cans will be able to hit their goal in the next 28 days given that even with tons of media exposure they seem to be inching their way across the racetrack. Gamers are well aware of Project Godus but they seem awfully reluctant to give any of their hard earned cash over.

We'll probably check back in at the half-way mark to see if they've pulled in any massive support, but if they keep going at their current rate I don't think they'll hit their goal. You can learn more about Project Godus by paying a visit to the Official Kickstarter Page.

You've got to have a lot of pull under your fingers to be able to keep the wool over Apple's eyes. That's exactly the case with 22 Can's Peter Molyneux and the upcoming iOS game, Curiosity: What's Inside The Cube? The prized possession within the cube itself is unknown to everyone, including tech giant Apple.

According to a brief interview with Now Game, Molyneux confesses that if Apple knew what was in the cube it would be a deal-breaker, saying...

What we do know is that money is not inside the cube...bummer.

The cube itself is composed of more than 60 million blocks and the game probably is best known for the $77,000 DLC. What does that DLC buy? A pick...yep, a pick. You can use it to chip away at those 60 million blocks slightly faster than the competition. Yes, you'll be competing with everyone else who purchases the product – everyone will be vying to see what's inside the black cube located in a single room.

The catch for the game (if we can even call it that) is that only one person will get to see what's in the cube. From there on, the only information about what's actually in the cube can only be spread via viral social networking. Otherwise, the information is lost forever to the gaping voids of time.

You can look for Curiosity: What's Inside The Cube? to launch this week on the Apple App Store.

Hey, remember news about NASA's Mars rover the Curiosity? Well, Peter Molyneux and 22 Can's new game, Curiosity, shares the same name. To avoid getting into the legal long arm of copyrights or potentially so some other issue, Molyneux has confirmed that the name of Curiosity: The Cube will change and that they'll be using Twitter to find a new name for the iOS title.

For those of you who don't remember, the NASA rover, Curiosity, has been in the news quite a bit. Unity even provided the tech to enable gamers and science enthusiasts alike to view the rover landing in real-time using the Unity web player.

Well, to avoid any sort of conflicts, according to Beefjack Molyneux and crew will be giving their cube-chipping game a new name. How will they be going about this? Well, why not use a social network to pick a new name for a game based on a “social experiment”. According to the 22 Cans twitter...

For those who are unfamiliar with the project, the game formerly known as Curiosity sports a giant black cube in a single empty room. The objective is quite simple: players go into the room and chip away at the block. Only one person will be able to see what's inside the block and the entire thing is a persistent multi-player social experiment. So there's no telling how this will really turn out. One thing worth noting, however, is that this DLC for the game and the DLC reaches up to $77,000. Exciting, right?

You can look for the newly-named game to launch for iOS devices in early September. We'll keep you posted on the new name for the game once Molyneux and crew decide on what it will be called.

The headline was difficult to come up with because there's just no way to properly explain how this whole thing works without sounding like some kind of sci-fi movie with a potential twist tossed in, but alas the headline best wraps up what you can expect from the upcoming game, Curiosity.

To be fair, it's not really a game but an interactive, social-media experience. New Scientist tossed together an article breaking down how the whole thing works thanks to Molyneux himself.

First, let's explain how this thing works before people fill their brains with too many question marks and trigger an unnecessary aneurism. Molyneux's new studio, 22Cans, is working on several projects but the first is called Curiosity. It's a social media game that doubles-down as an MMO of sorts because everyone will be able to participate simultaneously.

The "experiment" sees players (or rather, participants) enter into a single room with a giant black cube. Participants will chip away at the cube by clicking on it. The more people clicking on it the faster the cube will break away. After the cube finally breaks into nothing, the last person who clicked on the cube will be able to see what's inside...only that one person. And what they see will be "truly amazing, absolutely unique" says Molyneux.

Here's the thing, 22Cans won't be saying what's in the cube...ever. The only way to know what's in the cube is via social media or viral marketing from the end-user(s). Only the person who has seen inside the cube will be able to verify what's really inside, and that's part of the experiment.

To top it off, there is a semi pay-to-possibly-win scheme that involves buying pickaxes. You can buy a small iron chisel for 59 pence that is 10 times more powerful than simply clicking on the cube with your mouse. Another diamond axe will also be available that is 100,000 thousand times more powerful but said diamond pickaxe will cost you a real-life $77,000. Only one diamond pickaxe will be available...only one.

Molyneux states...

Commenters on Blues instantly made the connection between this experiment with the potential inclusion of bot-farmers jumping into the fray by designing a script to break the cube away to discover its contents. While that might seem a smart thing to do by botters, the reality is that if the contents within the cube are timed based or require some other kind of interactivity and the bot clicks through it or closes it out then it defeats the purpose of the bot considering that no one would know what was inside the cube and the experiment would have to start over.

Regardless of what people think about Peter Molyneux, you have to admit this is a way-out-there kind of thing to do. I'm curious how many people will participate and what the social media reaction will be? Molyneux mentioned that Microsoft kept him in a "creative cell" so I guess this is just a small part of what we can look forward to from him and 22Cans.

You can check out the entire article over at New Science, which also details 22Can's new AI system and a few of their other endeavors. You can also visit the Official 22Cans Website to learn more.

Lionhead Studios founder and Fable designer Peter Molyneux sounded off on the Wii U during E3. He says that he's unsure of Nintendo's new console due to its controller.

The Wii U's controller is an unusual device. It's a tablet with a touchscreen in the middle and buttons on either side. This touchscreen can be used simply to show information to the player, such as a map of the game world. Other games integrate it into the actual controls of the game. For example, Batman: Arkham Asylum will allow you to detonate explosive gel by tapping the screen.

While this controller gives developers more flexibility, Molyneux believes the dual screen setup is more trouble than it's worth.

"I am not really decided about Wii U," Molyneux told Eurogamer's sister site Games Industry Germany."I watch people playing and they sometimes seem to be confused about which screen they should look at when they play with the tablet."

"I also feel that monitoring both screens turns out to be a bit demanding, as some games make it necessary to change your view from time to time between both screens.""

It's really going to depend on how developers utilize the technology. I think maps and other information displays will be easy enough to adjust to. Players are used to taking their eyes off the action for a second to check their minimap in the corner of the screen.

Using the touchscreen for actual gameplay functions might be sketchier. It would be really awkward to have to look down at the controller every time I want to, say, aim a bow and arrow shot. If we're talking about actions that don't require the player to look down - like just swiping the screen to slash an enemy - then it could work. However, that sort of setup wouldn't make use of the visual display of the touchscreen at all.

We've heard a lot from Peter Molyneux, the former lead at Lionhead Studios that brought us one of those game-changing experiences with the original Fable on the first Xbox. He's no longer with Microsoft, but instead following his dreams at an indie studio called 22Cans.

Molyneux recently had an interview with Develop where he expresses how creatively perturbed he had become due to Microsoft basically keeping his creative juices jailed up in a "padded cell".

Develop asked some general outlining questions and Molyneux just kind of let the rest fly from there, one of his more interesting tidbits was as follows...

The reason he mentions not being hurt "physically" is because Microsoft actually had someone come over to make sure that his chair was posturepedically correct. That's right, they had to make sure that Molyneux was comfortable enough to churn out money-making ideas for them. Awesome, right?

This helped push Mr. Fable over the edge, and that's the moment where he realized he "had to go". Develop basically described it as being a "punk rocker" in a "brass band". I couldn't have worded it better myself, except for maybe saying it was like having a neutered lion in a petting zoo, but I think you get the drift.

Anyways, the real meat and potatoes of the interview kicks into high gear when they start talking about Milo, a game that was cancelled because Microsoft didn't know how to market it. The Game Effect has a very interesting take on why Milo didn't make it to the market and how it was such a vastly missed opportunity to help shape the gaming industry in a completely different direction, as opposed to where it currently stands with tons of mind-numbing AAA blockbusters filling up store shelves.

What's more is that according to Molyneux, Milo was nearly finished when Microsoft decided to pull the plug on the project, saying...

I always thought Peter Molyneux blew a lot of smoke up the creative chimney with ideas that were bigger than what they could execute. However, I'll honestly say that I was thoroughly excited about Milo regarding the possibilities of what that could open up for video game creativity and interactivity. I know a few years is a long time in this industry but I really hope Molyneux can find a way to get the game out, even as a digital title, especially now that Windows has fully integrated support for Kinect.

The interview with Molyneux is nothing short of amazing and a very engaging read, nonetheless. He also discusses the concept of truly being an "indie developer" as well as the hurdles of financing and creativity that comes along with it. You can check out the full interview with former frontrunner for Bullfrog and Lionhead by paying a visit to Develop.

When Microsoft announced Kinect (then Natal) at E3 2009, Lionhead Studios boss Peter Molyneux showed off a demo for the device dubbed Project Milo. Milo never became an actual game and Molyneux says that it's because the industry simply wasn't ready for something so emotional.

In Milo, the player interacted with a 10-year-old boy. You could speak with Milo and play different games with him. The boy could even recognize the player and interpret drawings. Lionhead is believed to have scrapped the project in 2010.

"The problem with Milo wasn’t the ambition," Molyneux told VG247. "It wasn’t the ambition or the technology; it was none of that. I just don’t think that this industry is ready for something as emotionally connecting as something like Milo."

"The real problem with Milo, and this is a problem we had lots of meetings over, was where it would be on the shelves next to all the computer games. It was just the wrong thing. It was the wrong concept for what this industry currently is. Maybe this industry one day won’t be like that, but at this particular time, having a game that celebrates the joy of inspiring something and you feel this connection, this bond; it was the wrong time for that."

Milo didn't turn out to be a waste of time, though. Molyneux says that he might revisit the idea someday. In the meantime, some of the tech from the game will be appearing in Fable: The Journey.

Last week Molyneux announced that he's leaving his positions at Lionhead and Microsoft once Journey is complete. He will be joining a new start-up called 22 Cans.

Peter Molyneux, designer of Fable and Black and White, has decided to leave Microsoft. The Lionhead Studios founder will be joining a new company in Guildford called 22 Cans.

Molyneux created Lionhead Studios in 1997. Microsoft Game Studios acquired the developer in 2006. Three years later, Molyneux became the creative director of Microsoft Games Europe. He continued to work at Lionhead in spite of this promotion.

"I remain extremely passionate and proud of the people, products and experiences that we created, from Black & White to Fable to our pioneering work with Milo and Kate for the Kinect platform," Molyneux said in a statement (via Eurogamer). "However, I felt the time was right to pursue a new independent venture. I'd like to thank the team at Lionhead, as well as our partners at Microsoft Studios for their support, dedication and incredible work over the years."

Not much is known about Molyneux's new employer 22 Cans. It was founded by Tim Rance, Lionhead's former chief technical officer. Molyneux described the move to 22 Cans on Twitter as "something really amazing, scary and brave."

Lionhead is currently working on Fable: The Journey, an action-heavy Kinect spin-off in the RPG series. Molyneux will keep working with Lionhead on the project as a consultant. Journey is due this fall.

Peter Molyneux, one of the pioneers in the "god game" genre, is about to receive an award everyone probably thought he already had. He will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Game Developers Choice Awards.

Molyneux was a founding member of Bullfrog Productions, where he helped create games like Dungeon Keeper, Theme Park and Populous. In 1997, he founded another developer called Lionhead Studios that spawned the Black & White and Fable franchises. He now serves as creative director for Microsoft Game Studio's European division but produces games at Lionhead as well.

"Peter is a remarkable asset to the games industry, and truly embodies everything that the Lifetime Achievement Award represents," said Meggan Scavio, GDC event director. "We're proud to honor someone who has had such a profound impact on the industry, through his boundless enthusiasm and profound talent in creating games about choice and interactivity that the entire world loves to play."

The 2011 GDC awards will be held on Wednesday, March 2nd at 6:30 pm at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The ceremony will be hosted by Double Fine founder Tim Schafer and is open to all Game Developer Conference attendees. Nominees for other awards can be found here.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Project Natal's (now Kinect) announcement at E3 2009 was a demonstration of a Peter Molyneux game called Milo and Kate. Unfortunately, this game may never see the day of light.

Milo was a sort of social simulation. You interact with a boy named Milo and a dog named Kate. The game utilized the body and speech recognition capabilities of Kinect to make these interactions as real and responsive as possible. The E3 2009 demo is below.

Eurogamer reports that development on the game was officially halted yesterday. Lionhead Studios let go 19 contractors attached to the project. The technology developed for Milo will be used for a Fable Kinect game.

Microsoft gave Eurogamer a "no comment" when they asked for confirmation. The fact that they didn't slap down the rumor like Dikembe Mutombo makes me think there might be some truth to it. Impressive as the demo was, Milo was a pretty exotic concept and might've been a tough sell for Microsoft.

A lot of things said by Lionhead Studios founder Peter Molyneux should be taken with a grain of salt. However, one thing he said during the Microsoft E3 press conference is definitely ironclad: Fable III's release date.

Molyneux said that Fable III will be launching on October 26th. E3's an American event so it's possible that date is different for other countries. The 26th is a Tuesday so perhaps the European launch will occur on the 29th, as Friday launches are more common in that territory.

At any rate, it means the game is going to hit stores the week after Fallout: New Vegas. The same basic thing happened in 2008 with Fable II and Fallout 3 but they both sold well so saying this is a showdown is probably inappropriate.

Fable III wouldn't be a proper Lionhead Studios game if Peter Molyneux didn't talk it up. In advance of the game's X10 reveal, he's gabbing about how shocking it will be.

"We'll be making some announcements about Fable III and there's some, wow, there's some very, very big things happening in Fable," Molyneux told GameReactor. "Bigger than you think, and it's going to really upset people. I'm really scared when I go out and tell people what it is, they're going to get super pissed off. They really are. But it's the right thing to do, man. I'm sure it's the right thing."

This year's X10 event takes place on February 11th in San Francisco. Two new gameplay videos from F3 will be shown.

Considering Molyneux's cheerleading for Project Natal, it may come as no shock that Fable III will support the new tech. Still pretty cool to have it confirmed, though.

This piece of information was apparently announced today by Peter Molyneux at a BAFTA lecture in London. It was then tweeted by Gamesbrief founder Nicholas Lovell: "Fable 3 will have Natal support. Is that an announcement?"

In a recent interview, Molyneux stated that he wouldn't rule out using Natal for the next Fable. At the same time, he insisted it was "a controller experience."

Peter Molyneux had a big hand in announcing Project Natal at E3. It seems natural that his studio's next game, Fable III, would include the controller-free motion technology and he's hinting that it might.

"I am going to say it's going to use a controller. But I've never said it's not going to use Natal," Molyneux said in an interview with GameKings. "And obviously what would probably happen if I started talking about this is you would see a little red dot appear moving on my forehead. And then as I would start to speak the words then there would be a shot, gunfire, and I would be assassinated. Quite clearly it is that sensitive."

"But let me give this to you absolutely straight. I have not said that we're not going to have Natal in Fable III. All I have really said is it is a controller experience. That doesn't mean there isn't going to be Natal."

Got that? Fable III and Project Natal are both expected in 2010.

To go along with the announcement of Fable III today, Microsoft has released the first trailer for the Lionhead Studios' RPG.

Considering this is the first-ever trailer for the game, it doesn't show you much. They're counting on you being so overcome by the sheer fact that a new Fable is on the way that you won't bitch about the lack of gameplay footage. This trailer does, however, tell us that the rulers of Albion tend to leave their crowns laying around in forests. Sloppy old monarchs.

Fable III will be released exclusively for the Xbox 360 during the 2010 holiday season.

Today at GamesCom, Microsoft and Lionhead Studios revealed that a third installment of Xbox 360 RPG Fable is on the way. Fable III will be released during the 2010 holiday season.

Fable III takes place fifty years after Fable II. Players control the child of their character from the previous game and eventually become king or queen of Albion. Once again morality decisions are key to gameplay, with the player deciding what lengths they'll go in order to secure power and how they'll rule once they gain the throne.

"We’ve spent a lot of time at Lionhead thinking about how we can innovate the gameplay and progress the world of the Fable games for its third chapter, and we’re confident that players won’t second-guess what we have planned for Fable III,” said Microsoft Game Studios creative director Peter Molyneux. “Though I can’t give too much away right now, players should expect to have to make much tougher choices with far wider consequences than ever before in Albion — and with many more interactive adventure elements.”

Update: The announcement trailer is now online, too. Check it out here.

This week felt like it was filled with gunpowder and was lit from the rear-end with a match that just blew all sorts of gaming news all over the place. Yeah, it was that insane. This was all because of E3 2009, which took place between June 1st and June 4th.

Microsoft let the bombs drop with their press conference that just shook the foundations of the news circuits regarding Project Natal. Sony wasn’t too far behind with the PlayStation Eye and some great games that were on display at this year’s expo. Nintendo…well, Nintendo was a sad, sad display of doing nothing more than feeding the casual machine.

Ryan Rigney did a little reporting on the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott brigade and it reaped some fairly interesting results, to say the least. Our Weekly Battle Bout returned for a special between Gran Turismo 5 and Forza Motorsport 3, and EA gets caught red-handed staging fake protests for Dante’s Inferno…ouch. You can check out everything that went down on the week beginning on May 31st and ending on June 6th, below.

Sunday

Prototype System Requirements. Because it’s important to know what it takes to control a shape-shifting, vehicle-throwing hero.

Crysis 2 Announced For PC And Consoles. It was bound to happen and now it has. Break out the champagne PS3 and 360 owners!

Square Enix Line-Up Reveals Two New Games. Click the link to find out what games Square has up their future-coiled, steam-punk-fantasy sleeves.

Review For inFamous. Blend Games’ Pete Haas puts down the verdict for this game.

2029 Online Closed-Beta Key Giveaway. It’s almost ready for the public but you can get a glimpse into this game with a free closed-beta key.

Fighting Games That You’ve Undoubtedly Forgotten About: Part II. And yes, some of these games could have stayed in the “forgotten about” category…Shaq Fu, I’m looking at you.

Monday

Ubisoft Announces Your Shape For Wii. Featuring no-hands gameplay and working out.

Star Wars The Old Republic Sith Vs Jedi trailer. Simply awesome…that’s all I have to say.

Microsoft To Offer Full Game Downloads On Xbox Live. And we do mean “full”.

EA Announces Mixed Martial Arts Game. It’s like the UFC but simply MMA.

Xbox Live Getting Twitter, Facebook Entertainment Services. Because somehow gamers can’t get enough of Twitter or Facebook…really.

Microsoft’s Natal Is Full-Body, Full-Voice Recognition Device. It’s terribly awesome and I mean that in a good way.

Left 4 Dead 2 Announced And Detailed. Find out why those boycotters wanted to boycott this game.

Tuesday

Team ICO’s Third Game Is: The Last Guardian. It came complete with a cool looking but slightly dopey trailer.

Sony Announces Eye-Toy Motion Controller For PS3. It’s more like a mo-cap ball on a Wii-mote, but you might want to check it out for yourself.

Jack Tretton Announces Rockstar’s Agent. It’s a PS3 exclusive, for real.

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker Announced For PSP. There’s even a pantless Big Boss running around…or is that Snake?

Gran Turismo Coming To PSP. It’s not just on the PS3 anymore.

Mario Galaxy 2 Announced. This was just one of two Mario games coming out for the Wii.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii Announced. This was the second of two new Mario games for the Wii.

Wii Fit Sequel Unveiled. I don’t know who would be interested in this…oh wait, the million or so people who bought the first one.

Wednesday

Peter Molyneux Gets A New Job. It was all over his Twitter and now it’s all over the web. Find out what all the talk is about.

Halo Reach Is A First-Person Shooter. Yes, because some people thought it was a third-person point-and-click game.

Nintendo’s Canceled Handheld Revealed. Well, it’s sort of revealed because it’s actually canceled.

Alan Wake Fact Sheet And Screenshots. It’s not dead, it’s alive and well.

Final Fantasy XIV Not A PS3 Exclusive. And here it is we thought that when Sony said “exclusive” they weren’t referring to “multi-platform”. Oh well.

Thursday

Some Valve Fans Not Happy About Left 4 Dead 2. Ryan Rigney sparks huge flames with this little investigative piece.

Sony Offers Solution For UMD-To-Digital-PSP Go! Game Conversion. It’s a long-winded title with some important information for PSP gamers.

Huxley Nixes Cross Platform Play; Will Still be Free-To-Play. No cross-platforming between 360 and PCs, but it’ll still be free-to-play.

Game Power 7 Says “Kids Will No Longer Turn On TV Machines To Watch TV. It’s a darn tough thing to argue with once he explains why no one will want to watch TV anymore.

Activision Sues Brutal Legend Developer. Why can’t we all just get along?

Gran Turismo 5 Vs. Forza Motorsport 3. Who’s the big racing dog this time around? Check below for the poll results.

Project Natal And Xbox 360 To Last Beyond 2015. I don’t know how the 360 will last that long, but Micosoft has faith in their aging console.

Friday

2K Games Releases Borderlands Fact Sheet. And the fact is that this game is simply awesome.

WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 Announced. Sadly, the only thing you’ll get out of this news story is a roid-enchanced box-shot.

Natal Will Have Hardcore Games. Just when you thought this cool new device was going to be shrouded under a barrage of casual-ware.

No Subscription For Battle.Net. Fee-less gaming is every multiplayer gamer’s dream.

BioShock 2 Singleplayer and Multiplayer Details Exposed. And it’s more than what you were expecting.

EA Fakes Dante’s Inferno Protest. Well, any publicity is still good publicity.

Saturday

Face Mapping Coming To Perfect Dark On Xbox Live. It’s a possibility folks…you could be shooting at your own face in Rare’s revived shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade.

Spike Lee Doesn’t Approve Of NBA 2K10 Cover Athlete. And this is the same guy who made She Hate Me.

Shadow Of The Colossus DLC Coming To LittleBigPlanet. LPB fans getting a little SotC DLC.

Review for The Sims 3. Kelly West from Cinema Blend’s TV Section rounds out the week by giving us a good ‘ole review of EA’s Sims 3.

In the battle between Gran Turismo 5 and Forza Motorsport 3, the poll tallied close to 5000 votes and it was a surefire victory for Gran Turismo 5 with nearly 3000 votes. The fans have spoken and it looks like more of them will be willing to lay down some cash for GT5 over Forza 3. Be sure to stay tuned in for more news, insight, updates and media regarding the latest games right here at Blend Games.

All today, Lionhead Studios creative director Peter Molyneux has been hyping a big announcement on his Twitter. It's not about a new game, though. He's moved to a new company.

Molyneux has been promoted to creative director of European studios at Microsoft Games Studios. He'll now oversee both Lionhead and Banjo-Kazooie studio Rare. According to Develop, he actually assumed this new role back in March.

"Thanks for the support everyone. Just to be clear I will still be as involved with the design of Lionhead Games as ever was," tweeted Molyneux just minutes ago.

I still feel the chills running through my arms as I type this out, because, folks, I’ve never had a problem with video games and technology before, but Molyneux has done something that is just plain scary: crossing the bridge between interactivity, real-life and everything that was once sacred.

Let me start by saying that Peter Molyneux, the head of Lionhead Studios, came out on stage during the Microsoft E3 press conference at this year’s E3 and aptly began to demonstrate what his studio was working on in conjunction with the new Microsoft voice-and-body recognition device, NATAL.

The tech demo started off simply enough: a little boy talking with a lady. Molyneux narrates the experience as the lady and the boy share a conversation. As if that’s not creepy enough, the boy can recognize gestures, intonations and movements (evolution of gaming is no joke these days, eh?). Well, the demo progresses with the lady asking the boy a series of questions and the 3D boy aptly replying. Shortly thereafter the boy asks if the lady wants to do some fishing, in which case as she gets close to the ledge of the dock, she can use her hands to interact with the on-screen water to try and grab some fish. Neat, eh?

Well, there is more. After catching a few fish, sharing some more conversation time with the boy, Molyneux moves on to narrate a rather striking revelation about the way NATAL can be used with Xbox 360 games: sharing real life data and turning it into interactive meta data. A little over your head, eh?

Real simple: The real life lady in the tech demo draws on a piece of paper and holds the paper up to the NATAL device, asking the boy to take it…the boy, in the game, grabs the paper with the drawing on it. Has anyone wet their pants yet? I should have warned you to bring an extra pair. But yes, that’s right, you can share data from real life and move it into the game when applicable. If that’s not insanely advanced for gaming, I don’t know what is.

We’ll have footage for you as soon as it becomes available. Until then, be sure to stay tuned in with Blend Games.

The Game Developers Conference exploded onto the news scene this week, and there’s a good deal of news item that you might find interesting in this week’s recap. But before we make you privy to some sparkling revelations by Hideo Kojima, Peter Molyneux and a few other enlightened minds of the industry, we kicked the week off with a review of MadWorld and an interview with Black Sigil.

Sunday

MadWorld Review. Rich Knight lays down the law in his review for Sega’s dark and gritty action game.

Black Sigil Interview. Find out what their latest project is and how Andy Keener got Halo mixed into the interview.

Monday

Max Payne 3 Has Officially Been Announced. Sort of comes out of nowhere, I know. It’s all true, though.

Mass Effect 2 Story Details Revealed. Finally, some answers!

GDC CryEngine 3 Debut Video. CryTek has finally unveiled the third-generation of the CryEngine…cool video, nonetheless.

Side-Scrolling MMORPG, VIVA Fighter, Has Been Announced. This looks fun.

Tuesday

Red Faction Guerilla Will Ruin Other Games. That’s what the developers are saying, anyway.

Is Selling GTA On Nintendo Platforms A Bust? That’s what some people are saying.

Resident Evil 5 Review. Another review of a big release for March. Check out the full review of this modern-day horror-shooter.

Sony Online Entertainment Wants More Girl Game Designers. And we want them to…because they smell nice!

Full Body Gaming Coming To Replace Wii-Moting. This is no joke and it’s definitely the future of gaming.

Wednesday

Hellion Mystery of the Inquisition Coming In 2010. A new fps for the Xbox 360 and PS3…but I have no idea what it’s like.

OnLive Gaming Without Consoles or PC Upgrades. Seriously, Microsoft and Sony should be really worried about this.

Monkey Island Co-Writer Tim Shafer To Star In His Own Adventure Game. I think the headline is intriguing enough without a sarcastic description, but I think it’s a little too late to rescind on that now.

The Agency And DC Universe Are Delayed Until 2010. Oh man, and here it is I was looking forward to putting a hero in a one-piece leotard and throwing buses at people while wielding a machine gun. Oh well.

Thursday

Resident Evil 6 Could Take 8 Years To Develop. Really? Well, we’ll just have to settle with RE5 and the tank controls for another eight years.

Kojim’as Next Game Announcement Coming At E3. Yeah, an announcement for an announcement…nice.

Modern Warfare 2 Not A Call Of Duty Game. Not sure what that means? No problem, click the link to get informed.

Fable III News And New Fable II DLC Is Coming. Molyneux drops some atomic info bombs. Check it out by clicking the link.

Friday

Square Enix Officially Has Pwned Eidos. We all knew it was coming and now it’s officially confirmed.

Get Four Ubisoft Games For 10$ This Weekend. Good deal, good deal.

PlayStation: A Tale Of Two Markets UK Edition. Find out what the blokes across the pond think about the PS3.

Saturday

Blizzard Working On New Franchise. So what’s it going to be about and what can you expect from it? You know the drill…click…the…link.

KillZone 2 Devs Bringing Down The Banhammer. Yeah, Guerilla Games is going Van Damme with the banhammer on cheaters and hackers.

Dead Rising 2 To Have Up To 6,000 Zombies At Once. And I’m guessing Dead Rising 3 will have 12,000 zombies at once.

Sonic And The Black Knight Review. Andy Keener lets loose on Sega's latest Sonic tragedy...oops, I mean outing.

Empire Total War Review rounds out the news for this week. Be sure to check it out.

That wraps up the news week ending on March 28th. For it to be the week of GDC, it wasn’t the greatest week of news. Nevertheless, that’s what E3 is for! Be sure to stay tuned in with Blend Games for more reviews, news, updates and insight regarding all things gaming.

Yes, dear Fable fans, Molyneux manics and Xbox bots, some new content is coming your way for Fable II. Not only is the new downloadable content coming, it’s going to be arriving sooner than you think, and that’s no lie. Also, Molyneux drops some hints about Fable III.

According to an article on SlashGamer it appears Peter Molyneux catapulted some words out for the press during the Game Developers Conference this year, regarding both the new DLC for Fable II, which he states is coming within a few weeks (or within the time span of spring), and the existence of Fable III.

In fact, Mr. Molyneux states, regarding Fable III, that, "If we were to take the franchise even further, going on from Fable II, I'm not announcing anything, but if you play See the Future you're going to be getting a flavor at what's going to be happening," he said. "My ideal is what I would want to happen is something big."

Well, British radio and television presenter, Jonathan Ross, unintentionally let his fingers twitter too much and he announced that he was working on a voice for Fable III. So, Molyneux, you don’t have to worry about announcing anything, your voice talent did that for you.

Regarding the new content for Fable II, however, Molyneux stated that, "This time we've taken a little bit more time on it, it's a little bit more story driven. It answers some of the questions, if you're a real fan of Fable, it answers some of those questions.” He went on to say, “It's going to test you a little bit emotionally as well. But I think the real unique thing here is it starts to tease and hint at what it starting to happen in the world of Albion and what is happening in the future."

Nice. You can read the whole thing here. And remember to stay tuned in with Blend Games for further news and updates regarding all things gaming.

If you ask Fable II designer Peter Molyneux what the game's biggest accomplishment was, he won't point to any specific gameplay feature. What he's most proud of is that, unlike the first game, Fable II didn't ruin the developers' lives.

"If I’m honest, on Fable we just burnt people’s lives; we destroyed the team," said Molyneux in an interview with Develop. "Week after week, month after month, they worked 50, 60, 70, 80 hour weeks. It destroyed their lives and destroyed their marriages. You just can’t do that anymore."

He adds that while Lionhead "used up people’s whole weekends" toward the end of Fable II, "a lot of Sundays this studio was empty." Maybe they'll even get a Saturday or two off during Fable III's development as well, eh?

Given the impressive sales of Fable II, it was a foregone conclusion that Lionhead Studios would make Fable III. Now we've got the first evidence the game is in development and it's from an unlikely source: British TV/radio personality Jonathan Ross.

"Goodnight all. Must go to bed. Got asked to do voice in Fable 3 tonight. Subarashi. Oyasuminasia. Woss out," Ross wrote on his Twitter last night (via Eurogamer). The next morning, he "Tweeted" that he had to "apologize to [Lionhead boss] Peter Molyneux," presumably for ruining what little surprise a Fable III announcement would bring.

Yes, that's right, more video game news via Twitter. It is really disturbing how viable a source of information that service is becoming. Anyway, Lionhead was supposedly going to announce their next project in early 2009 so we could find out whether this is bull or not pretty quickly. Maybe they'll have an unveiling at GDC.

Now that Fable 2 hit stores last week and everyone at Lionhead Studios has probably done their celebratory keg stand, it's time to start thinking about their new game. It's currently top secret but we'll hear some actual information on it soon.

A Lionhead representative told VG247 that an official announcement of the project will come in early 2009. Back in March, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux said that the game "will be on the front cover of nature magazines and science magazines."

Uh, okay, so it has something to do with nature and science. Yes, that narrows it down plenty. Well, we'll find out just what the hell this is all about in a few months. For now, we'll just refer to the game as the Untitled Do Something Good Or Bad In The Known Universe That Makes You Change Somehow For Some Reason Lionhead Project.

After revealing that Fable 2 wouldn't ship with online coop, Lionhead Studios reassured gamers that a patch containing the missing feature would be ready the day the game launched. Turns out they were telling the truth, so the design team's avatars will not grow horns or gain a sinister-looking red aura.

The patch will be available on Xbox Live tomorrow in all territories. The patch will be free, in case you had some lingering bits of paranoia over this whole brouhaha. Fable 2's online coop allows players to drop in and out of each other's worlds at will. To prevent abuses of the system (e.g. guest players running around murdering other players and stealing loot), the host player will have oversight.

The action RPG/Molyneux love-child hits stores tomorrow in North America and will be released in Europe on the 24th.

Lionhead Studios honcho Peter Molyneux continues to talk up his company's forthcoming RPG Fable II. The newest boast? The game will have downloadable content. Besides the online co-op patch, he means.

In an interview with Videogamer, he stated that, "Without any official announcements, I would say that we'd be pretty dumb not to plan it." Which either means he's calling his company dumb or they are planning the DLC. The latter seems more likely.

He added that the DLC wouldn't just be new items. "It needs to be something a bit more tangible and it would be nice if you didn't have to wait months and months for it as well." Yes, that would be nice.

The best bet would be additional quests, optional or maybe tacked onto the end of the game like with Fable: The Lost Chapters. Sounds good in theory, which is all we've got at this point. Fable II will arrive in stores on October 21st exclusively for Xbox 360.

You may have noticed that the Fable 2 Pub Games, gambling mini-games in which you could earn gold that you'll be able to transfer over to Fable 2, had a glitch that let you rack up a lot of money pretty easily. Before you start making big plans for your newfound loot, though, know this: the glitch was intentional. That's right, you just got played!

Fable 2 designer Peter Molyneux told IGN that players who used the glitch will be in for a surprise. If this surprise results in some sort of story shift - you find out the money's counterfeit or some dude kneecaps you - that would be a pretty funny twist. It's certainly a lot more clever than some of the other ideas that were tossed around for this game, like "hey, let's let the players grow trees."

The Pub Games cost 800 Microsoft Points to purchase off Xbox Live Arcade. However, if you pre-order the game for select retailers, you'll get them for free. If you're not aware of the Pub Games glitch, it goes something like this: during the Fortune's Tower game, pressing the left bumper as bets are being placed will increase the jackpot tenfold for free. Easy money to be sure but beware, for the Eye of Molyneux is upon you.

What does Peter Molyneux have to say about Fable 2 that’ll make our knees quiver? He could say it’s now a dating sim and we’d likely follow along without question. But he has better news, saying that Fable 2 is finished. We then get a look at the opening cinematic. I like the aesthetic of the game; it’s very much a hi-res version of the first game. With a realistic looking world with a slight cartoonish and fantasy driven style.

Peter gets in the game with his dog, which he insists are incredible. But tonight’s theme is coop play, and Peter shows it off. When your friends are playing the single player game they appear in the world you inhabit as glowing orbs. You simply walk up to one and invite them to play and if accepted they appear instantly. Peter says that you can finish the entire game with a partner, or you can simply hang out at the bar.

My problem is that we’ve heard nothing at all about the game. At least nothing of substance. Every time Fable 2 is carted out its always about the tricks and gimmicks. But we’ll find out for ourselves in October of this year when the game releases.

Players: 1 – 2 (co-op)

Price: TBD

Platform(s): Xbox 360

Developer: Lionhead

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

ESRB: Pending

Website: Fable 2

Release Date: TBD

As much as I lament the abysmal ending to Fable’s main storyline – a weak fight followed by a snapshot, are you kidding? – I still can’t help but be enamored with Peter Molyneux’s next venture. Fable 2 is shaping up to be the western RPG experience of the year, and may just edge out Mass Effect on my list if a few of the grandiose ideas remain in place upon release.

At this year’s Microsoft Keynote at the Games Developers Conference Molyneux came out to demonstrate a “pub game” within Fable 2. He explained that players will have to earn their cash by working (and by working he really means being a blacksmith or some such trade) or by gambling. The surprise was that the game he played in the demo is actually an Xbox LIVE Arcade title that releases a few weeks before Fable 2. You’ll be able to take cash you win in this game – and Molyneux hopes there will be many others like it, including perhaps a few XNA titles – and directly add it to your hero’s wallet. The idea is interesting and showcases a bit of the idea that LIVE is one continuous network, and should be treated as such. I mean how long until you can download a movie from Marketplace, but watch it on a television screen in a game? First we should figure out why you’d want to.

So far we have the dog and the combat. Two aspects that have been pushed about the game, but today saw the revelation that makes us really want to sink our teeth into the game. Dynamic co-op has been confirmed for Fable 2, and not only is it more interesting than a back of the box checkmark…it just may be the best co-op in an Xbox 360 game. Well, until Gears of War 2 releases shortly afterwards.

Fable 2’s co-op has you inviting a friend into your world to fight alongside you. While there he is a henchman, earning cash as you battle evil. And the same is true if you go into someone else’s game. But the great thing is that every Fable 2 world will be different in some small way. I imagine this won’t be the lofty plant a tree and watch it grow in “real time” from years ago, but little touches will set your game a part from a friend.

The thing to remember is that when you invite someone into your world they can wreak havoc. Molyneux warned in his demonstration that you should know and trust the friends you invite, otherwise you might end up with a murdered husband. He makes it a point to say “invite,” so I wonder if Fable 2 will not have an option to keep a game open for anyone to join. Otherwise there could be a lot of griefing, and considering this is an RPG that people might spend dozens of hours on that could be a huge problem.

We still don’t know a release date, only that it is coming. And that an XBLA pub game will appear a few week’s before hand. I was fairly close on Ninja Gaiden 2, so I’m going to proclaim the month of October as Fable 2 month on the 360. One month to get ranked up before it’s Locust slaughtering time. But if Fable 2 could arrive sooner, that’d be fantastic.