Today is a very bad day for fans of the Fable series and its developer Lionhead Studios. A few minutes ago, Microsoft has detailed changes for UK and Denmark studios, and the team behind the series is among those affected by the changes.
According to what Microsoft has revealed today, the development of the next entry of the series, Fable Legends, is now officially cancelled, with the company currently in discussion with employees about the closure of Lionhead Studios in the UK. Additionally, Microsoft confirmed that Press Play Studios in Denmark, the team behind games such as Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba, are getting closed, and the development of Project Knoxville halted.
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.
The cancellation of Fable Legends comes as a surprise, considering the team has been working hard on it for some time. Just one month ago, we have reported how Lionhead was striving to increase visual fidelity while also improving the game's framerate with the use of DirectX 12. With today's news coming unexpectedly, we should expect more details on the matter to emerge soon enough.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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