Fable Legend + Lionhead Studios both shutdown

Bullfrog produced some of the best games I've ever played but Lionhead never quite lived up to their own hype. Sad for the employees but not a great loss to gaming imo.
 
I always found Lionhead (and almost all "modern" Peter Molyneux) games to be big on promises which they never delivered on, stemming back to to the original Black & White. But still, one of better known studios shutting down isn't good news.
 
Such a shame to see a once great studio close, I feel sorry for all those that lose their jobs. There was some real talent there so hopefully they should be able to find other jobs without too much trouble.

Saying that though from a few hours of Fable Legends beta late last year I'm not surprised they canned it.
 
Just did a Google search to see what Lionhead made other than Fable and Black and White...

On the Google results page was David Braben's Twitter so looks like they may have work soon!

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In all seriousness, the only reason I can imagine this happening is the UWA/Windows 10 Store backlash, given how "complete" it was meant to be, and basically a "first party" none tacked on DX12 game.
 
Martini1991 said:
In all seriousness, the only reason I can imagine this happening is the UWA/Windows 10 Store backlash, given how "complete" it was meant to be, and basically a "first party" none tacked on DX12 game.
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Really doubtful. People on the outside tend to make more out of things like that just because they aren't privy to what's actually going at a studio or its publisher.

Also keep in mind that Fable Legends was going to be a multiplayer-focused game. Meaning it would involve more than just 'releasing it' and then being done. Could be they just didn't feel the investment they were spending on the studio was going to be worth it in the long run. Or that the sort of money they were putting into it would be better allocated elsewhere. Or it could have come from the top, outside the Xbox division, with calls to pare back costs and they saw Lionhead as one of the weaker links in the Xbox division.

Hard to say.
 
Seanspeed said:
Really doubtful. People on the outside tend to make more out of things like that just because they aren't privy to what's actually going at a studio or its publisher.

Also keep in mind that Fable Legends was going to be a multiplayer-focused game. Meaning it would involve more than just 'releasing it' and then being done. Could be they just didn't feel the investment they were spending on the studio was going to be worth it in the long run. Or that the sort of money they were putting into it would be better allocated elsewhere. Or it could have come from the top, outside the Xbox division, with calls to pare back costs and they saw Lionhead as one of the weaker links in the Xbox division.

Hard to say.
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And that again is why my reasoning is as it is.

GOW has ~150 ratings on the W10 Store.
Rise of the Tomb Raider ~ 40.

Rise of the Tomb Raider has 10K on Steam.

So, there's basically proof that PC gamers are shunning the W10 store.

This game was one of the first proper (If not the first) DX12 games, you don't just cancel it, unless you know it's not going to go down well at all.

It was also the first cross play game.

It was also very far along in development. And hilariously ; http://news.xbox.com/2015/09/08/games-fans-choose-project-knoxville-as-press-plays-next-project/

This game failing is a massive statement in a negative manner for MS.

This is obviously multiplied by it being more than just Legends falling apart.
 
May not even be Microsoft's fault but they sure are not winning any cookie points with their gaming strategy on this end.

Saying that I've felt Lionheart have undelivered for some time now but then again was never a fan of Fable and Black and White games happened too long ago to matter now. Bad for employees but can't imagine the good ones will have trouble finding work.
 
Such a shame—I visited the studio on work placement way way back! They had a game called BC that I got to play and was completely bewildered when that got canned—was similar to Far Cry primal...I just remember loving the gameplay, yet that never saw the light of day.

Also, does anyone ever remember the first article on Fable..when Peter M was describing the game? The one thing that stands out to me was when he said everyones game would look different, the example he used was that forests would grow and if you in your game stood on an acorn that fell from the tree, it would not grow, but if your friend didn't a tree would grow there....Amazing concept for a game but as we all know fable was such a let down....

I do wonder if that initial vision of Fable could be created today?
 
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