Fable Legends has Come to an End
In sad news today Microsoft has announced that it is cancelling the multiplayer Fable spin off, Fable Legends and putting Lionhead Studios out to pasture. Considering that the game was due to go into open beta fairly soon it is probably fair to say that the title was in much worse shape than we were lead to believe. Lionhead are responsible for a host of well loved games including Black and White as well as the Fable franchise.
In the same announcement Microsoft also announced the closure of Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood developer Press Play. This group of devs were currently working on the fan chosen Project Knoxville which will now never see the light of day.
It is sad to see two studio closures in one day however there is a little ray (and I mean little) for Lionhead fans. The wording regarding their closure is quite obtuse, especially when compared to the statement regarding Press Play, so there is every chance that Microsoft would like to keep the Lionhead brand alive in some way, shape or form.
As always The Player 2 crew would like to send our thoughts and hopes out for the talented developers that are now out of work and we hope you find jobs soon.
You can read Microsoft’s statement below.
“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.”
