Peter Molyneux, creator of Populous, Black and White, and Fable, has announced he will be leaving Microsoft for new ventures.

Kotaku reports that Molyneux announced his departure this morning. He will be with Lionhead Studios as a creative consultant for the currently in development Fable: The Journey for Kinect. In a statement to Kotaku, Molyneux said, “It is with mixed emotions that I made the decision to leave Microsoft and Lionhead Studios, the company that I co-founded in 1997, at the conclusion of development of Fable: The Journey.”

What will Molyneux be working on once he leaves his position as creative head of Microsoft Studios Europe? His Twitter feed reveals that he’ll be working for a new indie studio called 22 Cans.

I have left the lovely amazing Microsoft and lionhead. Now for something really amazing, scary and brave a new company called 22 Cans

— peter molyneux (@pmolyneux) March 7, 2012

Microsoft issued a statement to Kotaku as well regarding the departure of Molyneux:

“As co-founder of Lionhead and an integral part of Microsoft Studios, Peter was the creative visionary behind the blockbuster Fable franchise, and one of our most passionate and influential developers for the Xbox 360 platform. He has made an indelible mark on the games industry and we wish him all the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Molyneux’s impact on the gaming industry can not be understated. While Fable may not have been as ambitious as he previously claimed, gamers were enraptured when he made those first bold claims about the future of interactive entertainment and storytelling. Outside of games, he was a master storyteller that could sell you on his games based solely on his voice and vocabulary.

Here’s the speech Molyneux gave at the 2011 BAFTA awards:

Fans and game industry peers took to Twitter to wish him well:

Sad to see Peter Molyneux leave lionhead, one of the first devs I saw give a presentation, so inspirational and passionate about his work

— Joe Anderson (@_wotta) March 7, 2012

I must say that Peter Molyneux is possibly THE nicest bloke in the games industry. I have a huge respect and like for him

— Ben Parfitt (@BenParfitt) March 7, 2012

I feel so lucky to have met Peter Molyneux. Such a lovely guy to talk to, and best of luck to whatever the future holds for him.

— David Scammell (@GZ_Dave) March 7, 2012

Wow never thought I’d see the day that Peter Molyneux would leave Lionhead.The man knew how to sell his games even if it weren’t that good

— D’lectronics (@dlectronics) March 7, 2012

We here at WebProNews wish Peter Molyneux the best on his new venture. We can’t wait to see what he does next.