Peter Molyneux is back with new god sim Masters Of Albion, which looks like a stripped-down version of Black & White

Peter Molyneux is back from the afterlife once again, and he's making a new god simulation. The game in question is Masters Of Albion, which now has a Steam page. The game, which is being developed by Molyneux's 22cans studio, which he founded in 2012, looks like a mix of Populous and Black & White, with a mix of toy-like visuals and a loose tower defense format where monsters attack your villages at night. Here's the first trailer.

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“The story of Albion is one of power and consequence, a rich and deep narrative set in a world of quests and moral choices,” the announcement text explains. “Find your way through intrigue and plotting – kings come and go, lords shake your hand and then stab you in the back, and men work like dogs and are treated no better.

“Empowered with godlike, ancient powers, you face an enemy the likes of which have not been seen in centuries,” he continues. “Magic has returned to the hills and halls of Albion, threatening to destroy the very foundations of society. Unravel the mysteries of the mages, defeat the enemy that lurks in the night, and conquer a magic that could kill us all.”

In practice, this is what this all entails: during the day, you'll build and manage villages using an old-school Bullfrog hand cursor. Drag, drop and zoom will oversee everything from designing weapons (bread swords, not very effective) to stacking house sections (be careful not to drop them – this game has Real Physics) and studding roads and fortifications.

You'll also need to “carry out the orders of competing factions – food for the people, clothes for the Lords, weapons and armor for the King.” Town progression appears to revolve around the Arcanum, where you can trade favors in exchange for new blocks, item pieces, and magical powers.

Once the sun goes down, it's time to play Splat The Undead. You can hire and control heroes to personally smite the night creatures or rain down hell on them from towers, but roasting them with spells from your hand cursor seems like a lot more fun. Having heroes also seems like the way to explore the game's open world, build new villages, and do quests for treasure.

Overall, this looks pretty promising. It sounds mean-spirited, but I never thought I'd describe a new Molyneux game as promising in 2024. I particularly liked the Wes Anderson-esque viewing perspective. To address the various elephants in the room, there are no noticeably shady monetization mechanics in Masters Of Albion, and most of the features seem perfectly realizable. No over-hype so far.

Minor update – Graham said this reuses several systems from Molyneux's previous blockchain game, Legacy, which saw tens of millions of pounds worth of cryptocurrency sold ahead of its launch in 2023. Masters Of Albion appears to be missing web3.


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