Peter Molyneux - Bullfrog Productions

Bullfrog Productions

Using money earned from the database program, Molyneux and Les Edgar founded Bullfrog Productions in 1987. Molyneux provided the original concept for Populous, the first god game for the personal computer. Released in 1989, Populous was a major success for Bullfrog and went on to sell over 4 million copies.

Electronic Arts, Bullfrog's publisher, acquired the studio in January 1995. Molyneux had become an Electronic Arts vice-president and consultant in 1994, after EA purchased a significant share of Bullfrog. Molyneux's last project at Bullfrog was Dungeon Keeper, which was released in July 1997 to high critical praise. So technically advanced was Molyneux's coding in this project it allowed both 1st person and 3rd person perspectives to be integrated seamlessly together. The ability to literally "possess" any one of the creatures while playing the game immersed one in a 1st person experience mirroring the unique physical characteristics, visual perspective, gait and voice of the minion, as they were known. Many said the concept was in its infancy and suggested it was years ahead of its time. Molyneux left Bullfrog in August 1997 to found Lionhead Studios. The last title released with the Bullfrog logo was published in 2001, and in 2004 Electronic Arts merged Bullfrog Productions into EA UK.