Molyneux Kickstarting Populous successor

Peter Molyneux has become the latest celebrated developer to try crowdfunding a return to his roots. Molyneux's 22 Cans studio today launched a Kickstarter page for Project Godus, a spiritual successor to Molyneux's original god game Populous.

The studio is hoping to raise £450,000 ($717,000) for development, with the game itself expected to launch within a year for PC and mobile devices. (Other platforms could be added if Project Godus exceeds its funding goal.) 22 Cans said that it has turned to its fans for funding because it "allows us to stay a small independent team with unlimited freedom in our creativity."

In the pitch video, Molyneux proposes Project Godus as a throwback to the work of his previous studio, Bullfrog.

"What I would love to do is go back to those glory days of Bullfrog, go back to when we focused ultimately on the gameplay," Molyneux said. "And with the team at 22 Cans, with your help and your direction, recreate the entire god game genre."

While Molyneux has said he has just one game left to make before he retires, Project Godus isn't it. The Kickstarter page notes that if the game is finished, "we'll have taken another huge step towards the big game which will be the culmination of 22cans' 22 experiments."