Author Topic: Lionhead Closing  (Read 591 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline GamerMan316

  • Forum Moderator
  • Über Legend
  • *
  • Posts: 17000
  • Gender: Male
  • BEST SINCE DAY ONE
    • Time Zone: GMT
  • Last.fm: crak316
  • PSN: crak316
  • XBL: crak316
Lionhead Closing
« on: March 07, 2016, 11:41:19 AM »
Fable Legends Canned as Lionhead Faces Closure, Press Play Also Closing

It appears that Fable Legends will be joining the annals of games never to see the light of day, as UK-based developer Lionhead Studios will be closing its doors. Microsoft has announced plans to close down the studio.

Press Play, the Danish developer behind Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba is also being shut down, Microsoft has confirmed. That means the team's Project Knoxville has also been shelved.

As Lionhead is ceasing to operate, that means that development on Fable Legends for Xbox One and Windows 10 has been stopped. Whether another studio will step in to finish off the game is unknown, and information on the studio's closure is currently thin on the ground.

An Xbox News Wire news post from Microsoft Studios' Europe GM Hanno Lemke gives the complete lowdown on the studio closures, and the ceasing of development on Fable Legends.

Here's Lemke's full statement:

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.


 

Advertisement:
Login to Remove Ads