Peter Molyneux recalls how Project Milo, the Kinect game with revolutionary promise, died a death At Nordic Game 2025, Molyneux shared how tech limitations and changing priorities killed the Xbox game Milo & Kate Feature by Samuel Roberts Editorial Director Published on May 22, 2025 Vapourware can end up being the stuff of legend, like Rockstar's Agent, Star Wars 1313, or StarCraft: Ghost. Without ever seeing the light of day, these games never risked the possibility of being played and forgotten, and instead live on forever as the subjects of lengthy YouTube essays. Peter Molyneux, formerly of the studios Bullfrog and Lionhead, and currently working on Masters of Albion at 22cans, has had a number of cancelled projects in his career. The original Xbox's prehistoric game BC was axed around the time Fable became Lionhead's priority, for example. Still, Molyneux's most notable lost game (or tech demo, depending on who you asked at the time) was arguably Project Milo. Revealed alongside the Kinect device at E3 2009, which was then known as Project Natal, players would interact with a young male character called Milo using voice and gesture commands. Watch on YouTube This unusual premise made the game a huge talking point. The project was revealed just as traditional game genre boundaries were starting to blur following the success of the Nintendo DS and Wii. The actual game based on the tech demo was to be called Milo & Kate, with Molyneux demoing it in more detail at a TED presentation in 2010. Lionhead's stylistic touches are obvious throughout the demo, like its tone, music, narration, and choice of story about a British family that's recently moved to America. Molyneux described the game at the time by saying, "most of it is just a trick; but it's a trick that works". The game ultimately didn't release, with some of its ideas rolled into Fable: The Journey on Xbox 360, which was not well-received. Still, the demo arguably did its job, putting Microsoft's Kinect device at the centre of the cultural conversation for its reveal, a full 17 months before it was commercially available. Fable: The Journey ended up being the final Lionhead game before the studio's closure in 2016. While the broad details (and many specifics, per a 2013 Polygon piece) of Project Milo's demise are fairly well-known, it was undeniably exciting to hear Molyneux himself recall the project during Nordic Game 2025 in Malmö this week. During the Q&A section of his fireside chat, one attendee asked about Milo, saying they believed that to this day, Molyneux had a vision for what it could've been. "I'll tell you exactly what happened," Molyneux said. "Microsoft had [bought] us, we were owned by Microsoft, and they had...I'm going to say this, I might get in trouble...what I thought was a bit of a crazy idea. And that was to do gesture recognition as an input device, rather than a controller. They showed me this stuff, and Microsoft had this amazing research building. Incredible. "It was run by this brilliant bloke called Alex Kipman. Makes me look boring and passionless – he had ten times more passion than I had. He had this demo of this device, and when he showed me this demo, it could see people's faces. He said, 'it can do voice recognition', and it had a massive field-of-view so it could see this whole room." Molyneux then recalled his first reaction to the tech that would eventually become Kinect. "He said, 'what do you think?', and I said, 'well, firstly' – when he did the demo, he was jumping all over the room – 'I'm a gamer, I don't want to play games standing up. That's the first thing. It doesn't appeal to me, I want to sit back, I want to smoke what I smoke, and I want to drink what I want to drink, and I don't want to prance around like a twat'. "The death blow of Milo, which still breaks my heart to this day, was that it was decided that Kinect shouldn't be a gaming device: it should be a party device" Peter Molyneux "I said, 'I'll go away and I'll create a demo of [how we should use] the technology you showed me.' "Again, I go back to what I want the player to feel," Molyneux continued. "Now, at that time, my son, Lucas, was about seven years old. And, anyone who's a parent will probably experience this: there was this moment where you realise you're crafting, inspiring, a human being. Wouldn't it be an incredible thing to create a game around that feeling?" Molyneux's phone then started ringing during the panel, and he paused to turn it off before continuing. "Wouldn't it be incredible to create an experience around that? About inspiring, in Milo's case, a boy. That was contentious in itself, because of course, lots of people go to the dark side with that [idea]. Molyneux then said staff at Lionhead started working on the demo, collaborating with an unnamed technology company on Project Milo's voice recognition. "We had all sorts of experiences, like you could hand things to Milo in the game world and he would take them. They really worked well." Molyneux then said the team "cheated in a big way about how you could talk to Milo", recalling that his intention was to have players sit back on the sofa and "just experience things with this game character". "Even though voice recognition now is almost a solved problem, back in those days we solved the problem by cheating," Molyneux said. "So, when Milo asked you the player a question, we had set that question up to different points, so he knew what sort of answer he'd give." At this point, Molyneux explained how the changing specs of the Kinect device in the run up to launch impacted the potential of Project Milo. "Unfortunately, as we were developing Milo, so the Kinect device was being developed. And they realised that the device that Alex Kipman first showed off would cost $5,000 for consumers to buy. "So they cost-reduced that device down to such a point, where the field-of-view...I think it was a minuscule field-of-view. In other words, it could only just see what's straight in front of you." Ultimately, the demise of Project Milo came down to Microsoft's changing priorities with the Kinect device, which was soon synonymous with the kinds of casual games that exploded in popularity on the Wii. "Then, the death blow of Milo, which still breaks my heart to this day, was that it was decided that Kinect shouldn't be a gaming device: it should be a party device. You should play a sports game with it, or dancing games with it. So, it just didn't fit into the Microsoft portfolio, and unfortunately the project was cancelled." "No one ever saw the complete experience," Molyneux continued. "We didn't finish the experience. But it was a magical thing. What was so magical about it: it wasn't about heroes and aliens coming down, there wasn't this 'end of the world' narrative scenario." "It was just experiencing what it's like to hang out with someone that loves you." GamesIndustry.biz is a media partner of Nordic Game 2025. Travel and accommodation were covered by the organisers.

Peter Molyneux on Masters of Albion progress and the influence of Fable on his new game GamesIndustry.biz catches up with the creator of Fable and Black & White at Nordic Game 2025 Image credit: 22cans Feature by Samuel Roberts Editorial Director Published on May 22, 2025 Peter Molyneux was typically charming and emotional during his fireside chat at Nordic Game 2025 in Malmö this week, discussing his past work at the studios Bullfrog, Lionhead, and even the legendary doomed Kinect project Milo and Kate. Molyneux is a complicated figure for some (in games media circles, that's certainly the case), but the response in the room was incredibly warm. There is perhaps an understanding from the creator of Dungeon Keeper and Fable that the game has to do the talking this time. That said, as usual, Molyneux couldn't hide his excitement for what's coming next. Following last year's in-depth chat about upcoming god game Masters of Albion, as well as his negative experiences with the press, GamesIndustry.biz caught up with Molyneux about how development on the game is progressing ahead of his talk. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. How is Masters of Albion going? I've got to say this, but it's going to get me in trouble: every atom of my being believes we're making a great game. I bullied, persuaded, and blackmailed a lot of the old people that I worked with, like Russell Shaw, Mark Healey and Ian Wright, Kareem Ettouney, to come back and do one last gig. And it's incredible. There is a magic that we used to have, when we created Dungeon Keeper and Black and White and Fable, and that magic was completely intangible. It's not something you can produce. But it really feels that magic is back. And I'm not saying that to you to hype the game – I'm only saying so you get a perspective of how I'm feeling about the game. It should be impossible to make this game. It's all about player freedom, it's all about asking ourselves what a god game is, what it should be, and what it should stand for. But: it's f*cking working. It's coming together. If you can play the game, it is something that in my mind, feels – and again, these are words that play out in my mind, this is not me hyping the title – but it feels fresh, and different, and new, and it feels, above all, insanely brave. It's exactly what I wanted it to be: it's a marriage of Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White, and Fable, and it's all [of] that put together. And how the hell does that work? It's only now, really, in the last year, that I've dared to hope that this weird mixture of game mechanics can actually blend into something unique and different. When you're working again with all these previous collaborators, does it feel like it used to, or with time and experience, does the dynamic feel a little bit different? There is this trust. There is this overwhelming trust that you have. I'm not telling Mark [Healey] what to do; you don't tell Mark what to do, he is a genius. You just show him, and he does the rest. I don't say, 'we should have this type of music, or we should have these sound effects' with Russell Shaw; he just takes what I make and he adds his genius to it. And that dynamic, I didn't dare hope would work again, but it is working. We've got 24 people, because I love working with small teams. Then to work with other people on the team that I've worked with for ten years, to see them embrace this thing that we're creating, is just wonderful. I'm working harder now than I worked in my twenties. Every moment of every day is spent on the game, and thinking about it. But that sort of focus is what you need. Image credit: 22cans How does it feel to be in the weeds of designing a game now versus 20 or 30 years ago? It's funny you should ask that question, because there is this realisation that I had a while back. Journalists always ask me, 'you're working on an RTS one minute, you're working on a god game another minute, you're working on a roleplaying [game] another minute, where's the consistency?' I think I've realised that the consistency is the experience that the player has. What we're really trying to do is create an experience. And for me, that started back when we created a game called Magic Carpet, years and years ago. Let me give you an example of what I mean by an experience. At that time in the industry, Doom and Quake and Wolfenstein were around, and we had that tech to do an indoor shooter just like those. And we would've made a shitload of money, and maybe even created a franchise. But instead, my bastard and half-insane mind said, 'no. Let's not do that. Wouldn't it be fantastically cool to experience flying? Like, flying on a magic carpet? Okay, you shoot things, but [while] flying on a magic carpet.' That's when I first realised, I think, that for me as a designer, it's more about the player's experience than it is about the mechanics. Traditionally, if you're making an RTS game, the first thing you do as a designer is you write down all your units, work out your attack skills, and you have your design bible, and you give that to the programming team. That's not the way we approach it, and that's definitely not the way we approached it with Masters [of Albion], and we didn't approach it [that way] with Fable, or Black & White, or any of those games. So, the short answer to your question is, it feels so familiar to the way we used to work, and that is stumbling through the darkness looking for the daylight as you're developing the game. Trying things out, throwing things away, obsessing. Going, 'that's the heart of the game; no, actually that isn't the heart of the game, let's throw that away'. So in that sense it's incredibly familiar. It's very, very chaotic. Those people that we do employ who have worked elsewhere, after they've been working with us for a week, just look defeated. 'Tell me what to do, and I'll do it really well.' You miss the point: it's not what to do, it's how we embrace what [comes from that process]. You're launching the game in Early Access. How does the process of building a roadmap look for you, when you're very conscious of not overpromising? I think the real time for a roadmap is when you're in Early Access. I'm never going to lose this creative friction that happens, but if you've got a live product, and we have experience of this now, because we still have two live-service products [at 22cans] – Godus and Betrayal, which are both very successful. You can think creatively, and you absolutely should think creatively, but you've got to be a little bit more predictable, because you're no longer just throwing a schedule away, you're throwing away what people are anticipating. So I think the time for a roadmap, the time to be predictive about what we're releasing and share that with the community, that's soon coming up. The Dungeon Keeper and Black & White influences on Masters of Albion are really clear. Can you talk more about how the Fable influence manifests in the game? The way I think of it is like making a soup. I can put potatoes in, and I can put leeks in – and it's going to be a leek and potato soup. Then I can put strange other ingredients in, and it tastes like nothing I've ever tasted before. That's how I think about Masters of Albion. We have got bits from Dungeon Keeper; there's a core mechanic in the game that's absolutely inspired by Dungeon Keeper. We've got very visible things from Black & White, like the hand and reaching into the world, and this godlike feeling, caring for things and nurturing things, absolutely from Black & White. But Fable: that's where the main focus comes from, because the entire narrative, the entire world, the openness of the world, the freedom which Fable gave you as a player, absolutely is embraced [here fully]. We've just done some user tests – I shouldn't say any of this stuff – using a company over in America. And the first thing that came back is, 'oh my god, I'm playing Fable.' That was such a wonderful moment for me. That's what they said when they first started playing it. And then they said, 'no no, it doesn't remind me of Fable, it reminds me of Black & White.' It is a blend, but that blend, just like that soup analogy, is something new, fresh and different. GamesIndustry.biz is a media partner for Nordic Game 2025. Travel and accommodation were covered by the organisers.

GTA: Vice City Stories was originally released on PSP (Rockstar Games) The Monday letters page is sceptical about third party support for Nintendo Switch 2, as one reader enjoys his time with Doom: The Dark Ages. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Second story I think it’s obvious that GTA 6 is never, and could never, come to Nintendo Switch 2, but what do we think of the chances of there being a spin-off? There was Chinatown Wars, which was originally exclusive to DS, but there was also Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, which I think would be a better template for the Switch 2.They could make a new one set in modern Vice City and make it a prequel to the main game. The graphics wouldn’t be as good, and the map smaller, but since it wouldn’t literally be trying to be the same game as GTA 6 I think there pressure would be off to be as good as it. It could do some things that GTA 6 probably won’t too, like maybe co-op using the Joy-Cons and touchscreen controls. If Rockstar wanted to, I’m sure they can make a good job of it. It just depends if they feel they have the time and if Nintendo are willing to foot enough of the bill to help.Anders Kojima clone Does anyone else feel that Hideo Kojima has become a parody of himself? I read that stuff about the game character forgetting stuff if you didn’t play it for a while and it reminded me of the PeterMolydeux parody account. Had a look at it for the first time in a while and lo and behold it had quoted the Kojima idea! When you’re being compared to Peter Molyneux’s crazy, impractical, stream of consciousness ideas, I don’t think that’s a good thing.At first, I was surprised Kojima was making Death Stranding 2, because it didn’t seem to need a sequel, but then I realised just how long he was stuck making Metal Gear games, long after the series had peaked. I don’t think he knows how to move on, but I guess he thinks it’s easier to get some of his wackier ideas made if he makes them part of an existing franchise. Maybe there’s some wisdom in that though. I find a lot of things about Kojima frustrating, but you can’t criticise someone for doing what they love.Benson Block and parry RE: Simundo. Was enjoying Nine Sols massively… until I reached a Sol, about number six? So the Sols (bosses) had started having two phases to their fights, then there’s ‘her’ who has three phases; she makes clones, so first there’s two others, then there’s five of her, then there’s seven, and you gotta parry or dodge them all, while looking for visual clues as to which one to attack, in about a millionth of a second. Get it wrong and you will be punished harshly!I got to phase three a couple of times, but could never finish her, so that was that bye bye Nine Sols and hello whatever replaced you. Now playing Clair Obscur… and also parrying everything in sight.big boy bent Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Preferred formatRE: Panda. I can understand the benefits of digital games. I myself have been buying more but the shop bought games have so much more. It’s not only about the sell on bit, but there are other benefits as well. Wasn’t too long ago PlayStation went down and no one could play their digital games, no matter what it was. Soon as the network goes down that’s it, you can’t play. Also, at this moment, I’m waiting for the new Assassin’s Creed to drop in price, not because I’m tight but I’m fed up with buying a game at £70 and two months later on the store it’s half price. It’s £70 at the moment on the PlayStation Store. If I bought it on disc it’s £57.99, a saving of around £18. Factor in if I want to sell it on once I have done with it, which is even more of a saving. As for game sharing, how long is that really going to last before that is stopped? One little update and game sharing is over. Also, buying a digital games also has its ups: the game never breaks, you can download it as much as you like. Digital games do have benefits but for me physical games have so much more.David Downward trend I’m going back through all the Halo games at the moment, as it’s my favourite franchise and the games are all great. I don’t mind Halo 4, even though it gets lots of hate but Halo 5 is really bad. They had that cut scene at the start of Halo 2 Anniversary, with Locke and the Arbiter, and they had those great ‘hunt’ adverts with Chief and Locke, and then we got Halo 5 which was basically rubbish.I don’t know how they messed it all up so much and I’m expecting bad things from the remake of Halo 1.Simon Spoiling a good thing I know this is a terrible thing to feel but I’m currently experiencing feeling of schadenfreude directed towards Sony and their live service plans. While I understand there are thousands of hardworking people labouring away so that companies like Sony might find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I’m personally delighted when gamers reject them. How many times do they need to hear we don’t need more live service games? Nobody wants them!The thing I can’t ever wrap my head around is Sony basically had it figured out with the PlayStation 4 – keep making big budget/iconic single-player games and let the rest of their gaming library be filled in by others. It was such a simple way to act but it worked. Now we all have to put up with constant negativity around ridiculous sounding games and the fallout from the inevitable redundancies associated with their failure. I just don’t know how any of these CEO types keep their jobs while the people forced to work on them lose out. One last point regarding Jade Raymond, a person I’ve been vaguely aware off since Assassin’s Creed’s early days – this woman seems to be the kiss of death for any game. The only time I ever hear about her it’s because she’s walked out on another company or been associated with a terrible game. Let’s be honest, the original Assassin’s Creed game was pretty poor, even back then. Seems to be some people can only fail upwards in the world of gaming. Lucky them.Chris GC: The unfortunate truth is that Sony isn’t making live service games for gamers, they’re making them for investors, to appeal to their all or nothing mentality. Carrying on I’d write a long review of the new Doom game but I’m too busy killing demons and, occasionally, dying myself. But I’d just like to say so far the game has been amazing.To play this free on Game Pass makes me wonder how Microsoft messed this up so badly. They should have sold a billion Xbox Series S or X consoles. Keep up the good work.Manic miner 100 (gamertag) GC: Thanks, although Doom has always been a multiformat series. No matter what had happened, Microsoft would’ve been heavily criticised for making The Dark Ages an exclusive. No switch expected Interesting take from those analysts, about the Switch 2 becoming the dominant third party platform. While that would be great if we’re making an effort to deescalate the ever-increasing budgets and development times for triple-A games… I have to say I’m not sure what evidence they’re looking at for this?The Switch 2 likely occupies a similar spot versus the PlayStation 5 as the original console did when up against the PlayStation 4, in terms of power and performance. The Switch also had a steady stream of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ports to the device, ports you might say are the equivalent of putting PlayStation 4 games on the Switch 2. Also, the Switch sold 150 million units, many more than the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. A huge install base for third party developers to tap into. However, we never saw any major third parties prioritise Switch triple-A development, even out of Japan all we got was Monster Hunter Rise from Capcom. Why was this? The answer seems to be in the sales figures for the ports that were brought over, the list of million+ sellers on Switch is mostly (if not all) Nintendo titles. Historically, Nintendo machines play by their own rules and so do their buyers. They pick up first parties and the odd zeitgeisty cheap indie and call it a day. The price of these old and inferior ports is certainly one reason (they’re having a laugh with Yakuza 0 at launch) but even beyond the cost I just don’t think a lot of Nintendo gamers are into third party games, certainly not at the scale needed where they shift 5 to 10 million copies to make it worth prioritising development for. The numbers seem to bear that out. I expect Switch 2 support to be better, since now the Switch is a proven concept. But if 150 million Switches can’t persuade publishers to prioritise Nintendo, due to the demographic of those buyers, then in the end the Switch 2 will be no different.Marc Inbox also-rans Am I the only one that just isn’t enjoying Blue Prince all that much? It’s quite clever but also kind of boring. I never liked roguelikes, I shouldn’t have believed the reviews.LombardI feel like Devil May Cry is turning into Capcom’s Castlevania. It has its own animated show and lots of people talk about it, but it hasn’t had a new game in soooo long and there’s not even hints at it yet.Kalibak More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. 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