TheFableseries wasn’t afraid to take some creative risks, as its devs were dead set on making the game that they wanted to make, and rarely compromised on their vision. However, they couldn’t get everything they wanted, and tragically, nipples were just a step too far forMicrosoft.
Fable co-creator Peter Molyneux shared this story at anEGXtalk earlier this week, giving us some insight into the development of Fable 2. At the event, hosted by GamesIndustry.biz, Molyneux also touched on how Lionhead worked with Microsoft to push the boat out as much as it could get away with - falling short of nips on Fable’s NPCs.
This little anecdote came up when Molyneux recounted having to work alongside publishers, particularly when their visions didn’t always align.
“We had to go to Microsoft, and we had todefend the ability for people to have same-sex relationships,” says Molyneux. “I mean, that was an exhausting period.”
Oh, but he isn’t done there. As he’s telling the story, he remembers another instance when Lionhead had to seek Microsoft’s approval - and didn’t actually get it in this case.
“We negotiated same-sex relationships in Fable, but the artists had to rub out all of the nipples on all the female models,” shares Molyneux. “Microsoft said, ‘We don’t think it’s a good idea to have poke-y out-y nipples, even on a cold day’. But, you know, you have to defend those things.”
Of course, the panel went over much more than nipples. Molyneux also shared that, overall, humour was always the hardest thing to get over the line with a publisher. He says this was due in part to these companies wanting the devs to focus on something that’s easier to market, usually weapons or powers that the player can use. Molyneux wasn’t as focused on the combat side of things, preferring the simplify it and let the story take centre stage.
During the talk, Molyneux also elaborated on another point that he and other Lionhead devs touched upon in our Fable 2 feature - modern games. Or, more specifically, their gripes with them,feeling that they don’t take enough risks. Here, Molyneux said that he feels that recent releases take themselves too seriously.
“I’m payingStarfieldand I’m loving Starfield, but it’s a very serious universe,” he said. “And, you know, I’m thinking of how I’d love to land in the town square and have a blast. You’ve got to allow people to have fun, I think.”
More specifically, he speaks fondly of Fable 2’s farting emotes. Frankly, there is a lack of games that let you break wind to a crowd of adoring fans, so maybe there’s something to this. Perhaps the next Fable game will fill the void, letting us subject NPCs to our foul smells.
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