It may be curtains for the studio that created the 'Fable' series
Lionhead Studios, the UK development team behind the popular Fable series, may have reached its last chapter.
The studio's currently-in-development project, Fable Legends, has been officially cancelled, and Microsoft is discussing a potential closure with employees. The same goes for Press Play, the Danish studio behind Max: The Curse of Brotherhood.
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"These changes are taking effect as Microsoft Studios continues to focus its investment and development on the games and franchises that fans find most exciting and want to play," Microsoft Studios Europe general manager Hanno Lemke wrote in the announcement.
Lionhead has been around since 1996, after Peter Molyneux -- creator of Populous, the first "god game" -- left his position with Bullfrog Productions to start something new. The team's first release, strategy game Black & White, launched in 2001, and the first Fable followed in 2004.
A couple of other games came next, including a sequel to Black & White and oddball Hollywood simulator The Movies. Microsoft acquired Lionhead two years later and set the team to work on continuing the Fable series.
Molyneux led development on two subsequent Fable games before accepting an internal promotion to oversee Microsoft Game Studios operations in Europe. He eventually left the company entirely in 2012, but Lionhead carried on with spin-off Fable games like Fable Heroes and Fable: The Journey.
Fable Legends was meant to be a revival of sorts for the series, introduced alongside the Xbox One as a new, multiplayer-driven approach to the familiar fantasy fiction. But the game has failed to surface as anything more than a beta, and Microsoft's announcement speaks to what must have been a troubled development effort behind the scenes.
Now, after a 20-year journey, Lionhead is on the brink of closing its doors. Microsoft is working with the teams there and at Press Play to help them out during this uncertain moment, as a company spokesperson told Mashable.
"We remain committed to the development communities in the UK and Europe, and will be working with those affected by today’s news to find new opportunities at Microsoft or in the gaming industry should they desire."
Molyneux declined the opportunity to comment on the news of Lionhead's seemingly imminent closure.
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Topics Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
