As revealed by The Big K, Molyneux – creator of games like Magic Carpet, Syndicate, Black & White, The Movies, and Fable – is leaving Microsoft-owned Lionhead to join a start-up company. The former Bullfrogger, who was head of Microsoft Studios in Europe, said: “It is with mixed emotions that I made the decision to leave Microsoft and Lionhead Studios, the company that I co-founded in 1997, at the conclusion of development of Fable: The Journey… However, I felt the time was right to pursue a new independent venture.” He will also act as a creative consultant on Fable’s arm-waving variant for the Kinect.

Molyneux joins a new Guildford-based company, 22 Cans, which Molyneux has described as “something really amazing, scary and brave”. This new company was founded by Lionhead’s former chief technical officer Tim Rance, whose credits include Populous, Black & White, and Fable. They probably plan to make games.