Peter Molyneux says working at Microsoft was like taking antidepressants

Peter Molyneux quit Microsoft in March 2012 and now it appears we know why. In a new interview the Fable creator said working within the walls of Microsoft limited his creativity because the company was a "big supertanker of safety."

"I left Microsoft because I think when you have the ability to be a creative person, you have to take that seriously, and you have to push yourself," Molyneux told Gamasutra.

Trying new things and being highly iterative is easier to do for indies, Molyneux, using a sinking life raft as an example of how indies rarely feel comfortable while big companies like Microsoft often do.

"And pushing yourself is a lot easier to do if you're in a life raft that has a big hole in the side, and that's what I think indie development is. You're paddling desperately to get where you want to go to, but you're also bailing out," he added. "Whereas if you're in a big supertanker of safety, which Microsoft was, then that safety is like an anesthetic. It's like taking antidepressants. The world just feels too comfortable."

Molyneux is currently leading development on Populous spiritual successor Godus at his UK studio 22Cans. For more on Godus, check out our interview with Molyneux below.