“They were a bunch of idiots,” says Peter Molyneux when remembering Electronic Arts from 30 years ago. Before creating Fable, one of Xbox’s most beloved franchises, the legendary designer had a disastrous first encounter with the publishing giant — an experience so shocking he still hasn’t forgotten it.

To many younger gamers, Peter Molyneux may just be a name from the history books, but 25 years ago he was one of the most influential figures in gaming. As the visionary behind Fable and Black & White, he was the kind of talent every studio wanted in charge. One of those studios was Electronic Arts, where Molyneux led Bullfrog Productions and launched his first groundbreaking projects. But what should have been a dream partnership quickly turned into a nightmare — and Molyneux now describes speaking to EA’s executives as “talking to a bunch of idiots.”

The story begins in the early 1990s. Long before he joined Microsoft and created Fable, Molyneux co-founded Bullfrog Productions, where he and his team produced groundbreaking titles like Populous and Theme Park. EA published both games, but following their success, the American publisher acquired the studio in 1995. The next two years were a disaster, ultimately leading Molyneux to leave the company he had helped build.

Speaking to Edge, Molyneux vividly recalled the first board meeting where the Bullfrog acquisition was finalized — a memory that still makes him cringe: “It was like walking into a school playground full of idiots. It was my first board meeting, and I was devastated. They were just idiots — jumping on tables, shouting. It was nothing like I expected.”

The relationship quickly fell apart. Frustrated by what he described as a “stifling corporate environment,” Molyneux resigned three years later. The decision, he revealed, came after a drunken night with colleague Tim Rance, during which they drafted a resignation letter and sent it directly to then-CEO Larry Probst. “It was incredibly hard for me because my entire emotional world revolved around the people I worked with. I had no social life — and then that was taken away from me.”

Yet instead of ending his career, the experience became a turning point. Molyneux went on to found Lionhead Studios, where he created genre-defining titles like Black & White and Fable. Ironically, despite their bitter breakup, EA would later go on to collaborate with him again on several projects.

Source: GamesRadar