[Scarlett.]

It's amazing what you take for granted. A Lionhead Studios without twinkly industry legend Peter Molyneux at the helm seems inconceivable to us, like the sun setting in the east or dogs playing poker. But all things change, and the designer of Populous, Fable and Black and White is sadly no exception. Molyneux has just announced his decision to step down as both Lionhead boss and creative head of Microsoft Studios Europe.

A BAFTA fellow, OBE and honorary Doctor of Science, Molyneux began his career as a developer in 1982, distributing and selling floppy disc games for Atari and Commodore 64. As co-founder of Bullfrog Productions, he created the God sim genre with Populous in 1989, before leaving the then EA-owned company in 1997. As Lionhead boss, he gave the world Fable and Black and White, and has proven integral to the evolution of Microsoft's vision for Kinect.

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Molyneux will oversee the rest of Fable: The Journey's development as creative consultant, before moving onto new independent firm 22 Cans. "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," he explained in a statement to Kotaku.

"I remain extremely passionate and proud of the people, products and experiences that we created, from Black & White to Fable to our pioneering work with Milo and Kate for the Kinect platform. However, I felt the time was right to pursue a new independent venture. I'd like to thank the team at Lionhead, as well as our partners at Microsoft Studios for their support, dedication and incredible work over the years."

Microsoft wished him well. "As co-founder of Lionhead and an integral part of Microsoft Studios, Peter was the creative visionary behind the blockbuster Fable franchise, and one of our most passionate and influential developers for the Xbox 360 platform. He has made an indelible mark on the games industry and we wish him all the best of luck in his future endeavors."

According to MCV, 22 Cans is a Guildford-based venture established by Lionhead's former chief technical officer Tim Rance in January.