(I’ll stop it with the iiis now). Yes, a third Syndicate game has been raised as a possibility. Happy! Happy! Happy! That said, the raising was done by one P. Molyneux, the man whose picture appears next to The Big Book Of Hackneyed Phrases & Sayings’ entry for “pinch of salt.”
Here’s what he told Shacknews:
“I really would love to redo a version of Syndicate. Syndicate was probably one of my favourites.”
Whether he’s just thinking aloud, hinting at an actual project or none-too-subtly putting it out there in case EA offer him a vast sum of money to leave Microsoft and come make it for them, I really don’t know. Let’s be pleased that Syndicate hasn’t been forgotten, anyway. (Insane fantasy-land: given EA’s recent talk of regretting killing off Bullfrog, they quietly re-recruit all its major minds and get the band back together. /Insane fantasy-land).
And in bonus happy! happy! happy! news, he offered this in reference to Dungeon Keeper (and Magic Carpet too, but I’m a bit mono-vision when it comes to DK), “One day, I’m sure that opportunity is going to come up and I’d love to do it.”
In other news, J.D. Salinger announces a sequel to The Catcher In The Rye.
Related Stories:
The thing is, it’s also a kind of obvious sequel to make. Few games create such enormous comment threads on PC gaming sites.
I was wondering when there’d be a post on RPS about this ;)
nabeel
He could make a new Dungeon Keeper as well while he’s at it ;)
@Jim
I think one of the developers actually turning up, answering questions and basking in adulation had a major impact on the length of the last thread.
I wonder if Mr. Molyneux could be tempted to do likewise?
Whats up with the “iii” in the headlines :)
I definitely like what a new Syndicate could be. I replayed the old ones some time ago, and while they really just were a more sophisticated version of Cannon Fodder, I love the Cyberpunk background. I imagine many ways this could work, and I definitely hope for a nice little gang warfare addon that will ultimately let you plunge that fucked up society into a new dark age, Snake Plissken style.
Ah, Peter. Kite-flyer and spoofer extrordinaire.
I love Peter Molyneux. I think he must have majority shares in almost every rumor mill currently operating.
That said, a new syndicate game would be completely awesome. I was talking to Dartt about the potential for one the other day, and we both agreed that if a new one came out we may die happier people (or perhaps dye some people who are happier, my memory is fuzzy).
This brings back such fond memories of death and destruction – the original Syndicate was one of the first games I bought on PC and it still ranks highly in my list of all time favourites.
I even tried it on DosBox a while ago and it still compares well with today’s games in terms of gameplay.
Fingers crossed for a third game!
FUCK YES
Didn’t someone say that Holden Caulfield fell down the Sunwell and died? Or was that another thread?
Next-gen Magic Carpet, pls. :)
Syndicate was one of the first PC games I really “got” and played to death. American Revolt Syndrome is still a phrase I hear from time to time. This would be TEH UBARS.
Pinch of salt? More like “big mouth”. Bless ‘im, it genuinely seems to be down to his love of creating games, but he can’t half help running his mouth off and freaking out any nearby PR flaks on a daily basis.
Can someone tell me a bit about Syndicate? I never played it back in the 486 days and it quite frankly looks too arse to play now days seeing as I dont have fond memories to carry me through.
What am I missing, so I can start lobbying for Syndicate 3?
It’ll just be a third person console shooter if made today.
There’s finally a release date for Pitcher in the Rye?! Oh, wait, no.
But yeah, it’s nice to dream about a Syndicate sequel, but as much as it’s a long shot, having them make it WELL is an even longer shot.
I could see it going either way, unfortunately. I’d love to see it, though.
Yeah, Molyneux is just about as shy as Salinger when it comes to publicity.
I wonder at price would EA sell the Syndicate IP to Microsoft/Lionhead ?
I can’t think of any time EA has left go an IP but if Fable 2 were a big hit and makes a lot cash maybe they would be willing to sell (here’s hoping).
After the recent RPS article talking about Syndicate I went back and played them both.
Still as enjoyable as ever, though I’m divided about what a third Syndicate would be like.
In this current climate I fear it would be a console version seriously dumbed down and with only a slight nod to the originals.
In my wildest dreams it would be a modern PC equivalent that could keep me entertained longer than any MMO ever could.
Oh well, live in hope.
Hello derFeef!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobliiins . Three iii’s because there were 3 goblins! See? And this would be the thiiird Syndicate! See? Do you see? Do you?
b)WHAT THE FUCK?!
Gobliiins 4 is currently in production, planned for release during 2008.
Yay?!
Didn’t Molyneux himself have very little to do with Syndicate though?
Microsoft has the monies.
Fable 2 sells well.
Molyneux asks nicely.
Molyneux gets the license.
Lionhead hires the great Bullfrogmen.
“Syndicate III” announced.
PC gaming community at large weeps in joy.
Reply to Vinicius
I’ll weep in thick jets of joy if only Microsoft would hire someone to slap Molyneux whenever it looks like hes about to talk to someone in the gaming press.
“We’re going to have dogs instead of health bars” PANG
“They’ll love you no matter what. It’s unconditional love” PANG
“Some people can’t tell the difference between love and lust” PANG
“I know what love is” PANG
That last line should only be said by Hot Choclate.
But I imagined the games Molyneux could make with just some limitations imposed on him. Not stringent limitations mind you, just enough that he won’t get carried and spend five years working on a tech demo like Fable or Black and White. I imagined what he would do if someone said “Thats enough of that Pete”. I imagined this and then I wept.
Shouldn’t there be a law against using the words “console” and “dumbed down” in the same sentence?
New Magic Carpet! /:O XD :P and things of that nature. They can use that flexible terrain engine from that PS3 game (or whatever it was that got previewed a few weeks back)
Sinister Theme Park.
Jonathan:
Aww come on, he isn’t that bad. Granted, he is a dreamer… But hey, every industry has at least one of those huh?
Molyneux has accomplished quite a lot back in the days and he didn’t have any restrictions hehe. He just needs someone to kick his arse during PR sessions…
Reply to Vinicus.
Back in the Bullfrog days the limitation was the hardware. Even then he really really pushed the tech at times http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s9f5hiMgpQ (notice how it says he scrapped three different engines? Imagine how much longer that would add to dev time today)
Now hes just like a big kid who seems to get bored before he’s finished because it takes too damn long to polish the graphics and sound that us young whipper snappers eat up. Which is why I think Fable and Black and White play more like tech demos. By the time he got them working it was five years later and he realised he didn’t have any levels (B&W) or had to cut back on all the fluff to reach the current generation of consoles (Fable).
I do think he’s one of those guys who should never get a decent budget. It’s like the maker of a brilliant independent film who suddenly ends up with a $100 million budget and all the baggage and expectations that brings. If he was still quasi indie such as Stardock or Introversion then I’m pretty certain I’d sleep cuddling a framed photo of him.
For the record, I do like The Movies though it’s still shallow compared to the Theme and Keeper games. In my opinion Theme Hospital is still the best management game ever made and hasn’t left my hard drive in eight years. I still haven’t played B&W 2.
A syndicate III next gen would be a shit, surely. filled with autoregeneration, arrows, indicators and Win Now Button. And made by Peter Moulineaux, the “one button man”… arj