Title: Video Game News: Fable Legends Cancelled, Lionhead Might Be Closed Down
Author: MG Thabo
Recovered Author: MG Thabo
Published Date: 2016-03-01
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2016/03/video-game-news-fable-legends-cancelled-lionhead-might-be-closed-down
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20171028025930id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za:80/2016/03/video-game-news-fable-legends-cancelled-lionhead-might-be-closed-down/
Recovery Confidence: high

- MG Thabo

- 2 years ago

- 2 1

Lionhead has always had a bit of a corner in my heart. Fable was one of those franchises that I always had a hard time trying to hate because they were pretty fun games. Sure, there’s a mountain of problems and broken promises, but the games were always a bit of a highlight for me. There was always this cheeky British charm to them that I enjoyed and I just love everything with an Industrial Revolution aesthetic by default. After Fable 3, they went off the rails by making their new game Fable: The Journey, a on-rails shooter using Kinect that really wasn’t good. Also, they made Fable Heroes, a sidescrolling beat-em-up that was just hot garbage.

Now it seems that Lionhead is going to soon meet its demise. Fable Legends, a free-to-play game set in the world of Fable, has now been completely cancelled. People that are in the closed beta can still play the game for a bit and all of the gold they purchased will be refunded, but the game is completely dead now.

Additionally, there are talks that Lionhead Studios will be closing down, according to an Xbox Wire post:

Today, I have some difficult changes to announce that affect some of our Microsoft Studios teams and projects in the UK and Denmark.

After much consideration we have decided to cease development on Fable Legends , and are in discussions with employees about the proposed closure of Lionhead Studios in the UK. Additionally, we will close Press Play Studios in Denmark, and sunset development on Project Knoxville .

These have been tough decisions and we have not made them lightly, nor are they a reflection on these development teams – we are incredibly fortunate to have the talent, creativity and commitment of the people at these studios. The Lionhead Studios team has delighted millions of fans with the Fable series over the past decade. Press Play imbued the industry with a unique creative spirit behind games like Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba , which both captured passionate fans. 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.

I speak for all of Xbox when I say that despite this news, we remain committed to the development communities in the UK and Europe, and Xbox will continue to support new IP and originality in the games we offer on our platforms, whether they’re AAA blockbusters like Quantum Break from Remedy, adventurous new IPs like Sea of Thieves from Rare, or unique new creations from independent developers like Moon Studios with Ori .

We have nothing but heart-felt thanks for the members of Lionhead and Press Play for their contributions to Xbox and gaming. We are committed to working closely with those affected by today’s news to find them new opportunities at Xbox, or partnering with the broader development community to help place them in jobs elsewhere in the games industry should they desire.

It’s never fun to hear that a company with such a rich legacy as Lionhead might be lost in the gaming ether. Fable Legends looked like it could have been a good game even with the concerns of its free-to-play business model, but now we will never know how it turns out. We hope that the talented men and women from Lionhead find their feet soon and we wish them luck in any of their future endeavors.

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MG Thabo

Guest Contributor

Marko has played way too many games, listened to way too many metal albums and is probably taller than you. He is a qualified language and communication practitioner and likes to write about the good things in gaming.

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Article Tags:
fable · fable legends · fable legends cancelled · lionhead · news · video game news

Article Categories:
Video Game News
