Editing Lionhead Studios (section)

===Founding===
[[File:Peter-molyneux-at-university-of-southampton.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Peter Molyneux (2007), co-founder of Lionhead Studios]]
[[Peter Molyneux]] founded [[Bullfrog Productions]] in 1987, which was later acquired by [[Electronic Arts]] (EA) in 1995. Around 1996, Molyneux had contemplated leaving Bullfrog, as he felt limited in his creative freedom under Electronic Arts. He along with Lionhead's eventual co-founders, [[Mark Webley]], Tim Rance and [[Steve Jackson (British game designer)|Steve Jackson]], started developing plans for a new studio.<ref name="ChairPM"/><ref name="House">{{cite magazine|title=Welcome to the House of Molyneux|issue=44|magazine=PC Gamer UK|date=June 1997|publisher=Future Publishing|issn=1470-1693|pages=74, 75}}</ref><ref name="LHProfile"/> In 1997, due to a series of events and from issues arising between Molyneux and Electronic Arts, he ultimately left the company in July 1997, co-founding Lionhead shortly after that,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/04/peter-molyneux-departed-bullfrog-over-a-drunken-email-a-ign-unfiltered|title=How a Drunken Email Led to Molyneux's Parting With EA|first=Alex|last=Osborn|date=4 April 2017|access-date=4 April 2017|work=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404192223/http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/04/peter-molyneux-departed-bullfrog-over-a-drunken-email-a-ign-unfiltered|archive-date=4 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ChairPM"/><ref name="Audience97"/><ref name="House"/> along with [[Mark Webley]], Tim Rance, and [[Steve Jackson (British game designer)|Steve Jackson]] (who co-founded [[Games Workshop]] and co-authored the ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'' series<ref name="BWMakingIntro"/>).<ref name="LHProfile"/> On his recruitment, Jackson said "It was an offer I couldn't refuse", as he wanted to get back to making games instead of writing about them (Jackson had interviewed Molyneux about Bullfrog and ''Dungeon Keeper'', but for much of it, they discussed German board games instead. This led to them meeting frequently for an event called "Games Night").<ref name="LDOne"/> Molyneux assured him that his lack of programming knowledge was an asset rather than a problem.<ref name="LDOne"/> Lionhead is the second Bullfrog break-off group, after [[Mucky Foot Productions]] (founded in February 1997).<ref name="SiliconValley"/> According to [[Glenn Corpes]] (who co-founded another: [[Lost Toys]]<ref name="SiliconValley"/>), Lionhead was Molyneux's "take on what Bullfrog used was".<ref name="WorldLT">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[PC Zone]]|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]|issn=0967-8220|pages=158–161|issue=88|date=April 2000|title=The World According To Lost Toys|location=London}}</ref>

The idea of the company was to develop quality games without growing too large.<ref name="eg history"/> On the differences between Lionhead and Bullfrog, Molyneux said: "This time round we're a professionally run company. Gone are the days of shooting work experience people with guns".<ref name="ChairPM"/> He also said that Lionhead would develop only one game at a time.<ref name="Legend">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/features/petermolyneux/page13.html|title=GameSpot Presents Legends of Game Design: Peter Molyneux|last=Dulin|first=Ron|work=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=21 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021231173224/http://www.gamespot.com/features/petermolyneux/page13.html|archive-date=31 December 2002|page=13|url-status=live}}</ref> Early Lionhead employees included [[Demis Hassabis]], [[Mark Healey]] (Lionhead's first artist<ref name="ChairMH">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]|location=Bournemouth|issn=1742-3155|title=In The Chair With Mark Healey|pages=92–97|issue=139}}</ref>), and [[Alex Evans (video game developer)|Alex Evans]].<ref name="eg history"/>

The name Lionhead came from Webley's pet hamster, who had died the week prior to the foundation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p4.html |title=GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 4 of 19 |first=John |last=Keefer |date=March 31, 2006 |website=[[GameSpy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609133026/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p4.html |archive-date=June 9, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="eg history">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-05-12-lionhead-the-inside-story|title=Lionhead: The inside story|first=Wesley|last=Yin-Poole|date=12 May 2016|access-date=5 April 2017|work=[[Eurogamer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228152204/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-05-12-lionhead-the-inside-story|archive-date=28 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BWMakingIntro">{{cite book|author1=James Leach|author2=Christian Bravery|title=The Making of Black & White|date=2001|publisher=Prima Games|isbn=978-0-7615-3625-3|pages=4, 5|chapter=Introduction}}</ref><ref name="LDOne">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[PC Zone]]|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]|issn=0967-8220|page=60|issue=60|date=February 1998|title=The Lionhead Diaries|location=London|department=The Lionhead Diaries|author=Steve Jackson}}</ref> The hamster's death was taken as a bad sign,<ref name="BWMakingIntro"/> so other names, including Black Box, Red Rocket, Midnight, and Hurricane were considered but none had unanimous support.<ref name="BWMakingIntro"/><ref name="LDOne"/> The name Red Eye was then suggested, and everyone liked it (the decision needed to be quick as Molyneux was to be interviewed by ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]''<ref name="BWMakingIntro"/><ref name="LDOne"/><ref name="Audience97"/>).<ref name="BWMakingIntro"/><ref name="LDOne"/> However, for reasons including the name being in use by many other companies, the domains redeye.com and redeye.co.uk being taken and lionhead.co.uk had already been registered by Rance, the company already having Lionhead business cards, and the possibility of the name Red Eye having drinking connotations, the name was reverted to Lionhead.<ref name="BWMakingIntro"/><ref name="LDOne"/> By the time the name was reverted, it was too late for ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' to amend their interview, so it was published with the company being referred to as Redeye Studios.<ref name="BWMakingIntro"/><ref name="Audience97"/> In the interview, Molyneux stated that his ambition for the company was to "make it a world-renowned software development house – known in Europe, Japan and America for top-quality games".<ref name="Audience97"/>