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The computer game production firm Lionhead Studios was founded by Peter Molyneux in 1997. Previously, Peter created famous games like Populous, Magic Carpet, and Dungeon Keeper at his former company Bullfrog Productions, which he sold to Electronic Arts in 1995.
Lionhead Studios is located in Surrey (close to London) and today more than 200 people work there. Their first title was Black & White, a strategic game where players decide how to rule the world as a god spreading peace and loving support to virtual people, or lashing out in anger and instilling fear. The game was a worldwide best-seller because of the new level of freedom the player is granted and because of the great care that was spent on every single detail from dialogs to landscapes, items and characters. In 2005, the long awaited sequel Black & White II will be released.
The following success story was shared in an interview with Paul McLaughlin, Head of Art at Lionhead Studios.
Ten years ago, a few people could design a game in a few months. Today, this is no longer possible. Consumers expect not only a great idea and perfect gameplay, but also stunning graphics, interesting dialogs, exciting sound, and elaborate technical features. Game buyers are not a forgiving audience.
For these reasons, projects have developed...
