„We never took a penny of money from people.” Famous „silver-tongued” dev contradicts himself on controversial monetization system

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So, I was reading an interview with Peter Molyneux, and he was talking about going back to *Curiosity: What’s Inside the Cube*. It’s that old mobile game where everyone chipped in to reveal what was inside a cube. He claims he and the team didn’t make any money off it, which is… interesting. Because he actually said back in 2013 that he’d earned ‘tens of thousands’ from it! He also talked about what he wished he’d done differently with the game and all the ways they tried to monetize it back then. It’s a bit of a messy situation, honestly.

Let me start with a quick overview. *Curiosity* is a simple game released in 2012 by 22cans. Players peel away layers of a cube, and the creator, Peter Molyneux, promised a life-changing surprise inside. The reward was to become a digital god within the game *Godus* and receive 1% of its profits. Ultimately, an 18-year-old named Bryan Henderson discovered the secret, but the studio quickly forgot about him and he didn’t receive any of the promised money.

Peter Molyneux recently told Edge magazine he wishes he’d included cryptocurrency within the Curiosity cube – something that could be incredibly valuable now. He also spoke about the winner of the Curiosity experiment, but didn’t seem particularly sorry for how things turned out. His biggest regret? Not just calling the prize “amazing.”

For Henderson, it felt like a dream come true, and he quickly found himself in the spotlight. However, Molyneux admits it was an overstatement to call the experience ‘life-changing,’ and he sincerely apologizes for that. He realizes he shouldn’t have used such strong language.

The developer considered a potentially unpopular way to make money from *Curiosity*. Following the success of World of Tanks, he proposed charging £10,000 to remove layers of cubes, and even planned for much larger in-app purchases. Ultimately, Apple’s App Store rules prevented these plans from moving forward.

Peter Molyneux has a long-standing reputation for making ambitious promises he struggles to deliver on, and this interview likely won’t change that. He currently works at the 22cans studio on a strategy game called Masters of Albion, where players act as a god. While there’s no official release date, this project could be the final game from the famously persuasive developer.

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2025-10-08 13:02