THE BRIT LIST: INDUSTRY LEGENDS LEGENDS
You’ve achieved a lot, what stands out as your biggest achievement? That’s an impossible question to answer. In all honesty I really can’t choose between starting Games Workshop, seeing The Warlock of Firetop Mountainfirst appear in book shops, being chairman of Eidos during the glory days or – following our Next Gen Skills campaign – hearing Michael Gove’s announcement that computing was to be introduced into the national curriculum in September 2014. All of the above were down to team efforts, which is the norm in the industry.
Who do you credit for influencing your career?
Gary Gygax was my first and biggest influence. Working all these years with Steve Jackson also was a big influence on me. In video games, Will Wright and Shigeru Miyamoto are undoubtedly major influences. I salute all those who recognise the
Meet the five who have earned their place for their remarkable contributions to the British games industry
importance of play and are passionate about games as an art form.
So what’s next?
I recently founded The Livingstone Foundation to apply to open a Free School based on the findings of our Next Gen review. Our application is with the Department for Education and we are waiting to hear whether or not we get approved. It’s important that children are good problem solvers and communicators, and are given the right creative digital-making skills for a career in the games industry and for jobs that do not yet exist. It’s also very rewarding for me to have been asked to help exciting new UK talent to build their digital businesses. I advise several games companies and I am chairman of three – Playdemic, Midoki and Playmob. They might not yet be well known, but I guarantee you will be hearing a lot more about them soon.
PETER MOLYNEUX, OBE, 22 CANS
MOLYNEUX told MCVback in 2010 that he has never made a great game. He’s wrong, of course, but it’s this belief that explains why he never sits still, and in 2012 set up his third games studio: 22 Cans.
The story behind
Molyneux’s start in games is an unusual one. After a number of failed games, he gave up and started a business that exported baked beans. “I was running a rubbish import export company called Taurus Impex when Commodore, the makers of the Amiga, mistakenly sent me free computers,” he recalls. Commodore had confused Molyneux’s business with a networking firm called Torus. But rather than correct the company’s mistake, he took the computers and built the networking software Commodore wanted. He then used the money
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from that to create his first breakthrough game, Populous. Molyneux’s games since then – including Fable, Black and White and Dungeon Keeper – are considered modern classics. But what makes him an influential figure today is his desire to discover the next big game for the new generation of gamers.
That’s why, rather than legendary games developers of the past, he says his biggest inspiration right now is Markus Persson, “The genius behind Minecraft.” Molyneux says: “At last the games industry is on course to become a huge diverse industry, influencing both casual and core gamers that could potentially number in the billions.”
ROD COUSENS, CBE, CODEMASTERS
THE 25-year video game veteran has had a profound influence on the UK games industry. The former Acclaim and Activision boss is now best know for his work at Codemasters, which over the last two years has become a studio devoted to racing titles that re- launched F1 as a video game IP. He also takes an active role in supporting other businesses, including online games giant Jagex.
TOM STONE, TT GAMES
BACK in the 1990s Tom Stone worked for EA and was actively involved in the launch and development of the first FIFA game. Today he remains just as influential as the boss of TT Games. The Warner Bros-owned studio is one of the most prolific in the UK. It creates multiple titles a year, and over the last 15 months has developed several critically acclaimed LEGOtitles that have together sold over 1.3m units.
Phil Harrison profile overleaf March 28th 2014 05
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