Molyneux: large publishing companies can't afford the risk associated with "unbridled creativity"

Peter Molyneux has said large publishing companies are unable to afford the risk associated with "unbridled creativity."

Speaking with Developer, the 22Cans boss said publishers can't afford the monetary risk by allowing developers to spend funds testing out new design concepts.

“Part of the problem is that any big developer - or any big publisher - has to have process,” said Molyneux.“They can’t allow unbridled creativity, because if they did us creatives would run off into the sunset spending all the money.

"There has to be process, be it through greenlighting, concept approval practices or something similar. But, that process does hamper creativity. There’s no way that you could stand up and say, ‘I’ve got two people in the office, and within four months I’m going to be releasing a game that’s going to be completely different’.

"At a big organization you’d need that long just to get the concept approved."

Molyneux said working in a smaller studio provides a "nimbleness and swiftness to being a start-up," in which games like Curiosity can be made, due to the "insane amount of that ‘just do it’ mentality.”