“It got me into a lot of trouble,” admits Peter Molyneux, who, despite creating masterpieces like Fable, Populous, and Black & White, has carried the weight of his reputation for 41 years. He recently recalled how it all began: his first game, The Entrepreneur, which he believed would be a massive success, sold only two copies.

Peter Molyneux is one of the most controversial figures in video game history. The British developer revolutionized the industry with Fable, Populous, and Black & White, but his career has been haunted by grand promises and overstated ambitions. Still, every legend has an origin story, and in Molyneux’s case, it’s more of a tragicomedy than a triumph.

Long before Fable, Dungeon Keeper, or Theme Park, and even before he founded Bullfrog Productions, Molyneux created his first video game, which unknowingly foreshadowed his later works. The title was The Entrepreneur, a practically unknown project that ended in complete commercial disaster. In a recent interview with Edge magazine (via GamesRadar+), Molyneux revealed that only two copies were ever sold—and one of them was bought by his mother.

A Hundred Pounds and a Big Dream

Molyneux’s first business venture wasn’t related to gaming at all. At just 24, he founded a company called Vulcan Computing with the goal of selling floppy disks containing “free educational software.” “We couldn’t make the floppy disks cheap enough,” he later explained. The business failed, but that failure became the first step toward his game development career.

“That’s when I started programming,” he said. “And since the company was collapsing, I thought, ‘I’m going to make a video game.’ Back then, even a shooter where you blasted aliens in toilets could sell tons of copies.” Instead, he developed The Entrepreneur, a text-based business simulator. “I thought it was fun, though it looked dreadful.”

Released in 1984 for the BBC Micro Model B at £7.95, the game included a unique twist—a £100 prize promised to one lucky player, an idea he would revisit years later with Curiosity: What’s Inside the Cube? The result was equally disappointing, but it marked the start of his lifelong fascination with big ideas and bold risks.

“You might want to hire a few more postmen.”

So confident was Molyneux in his game’s success that he called the local post office on launch day. “I told them, ‘You might want to hire a few more postmen,’” he recalled, laughing.

He even enlarged the office mailbox, expecting an avalanche of orders. Instead, only two envelopes arrived. “I’m pretty sure one was from my mum,” he admitted. The Entrepreneur was a commercial flop—but it was also the spark that ignited one of gaming’s most fascinating careers.

Looking back, Molyneux acknowledges how his enthusiasm often led him astray. “With every game, I believe it will sell millions and be incredible. That’s always stayed with me—and it’s gotten me into a lot of trouble.” For once, he might be right.

Source: 3djuegos