Microsoft Studios has announced that it is shutting down Lionhead Studios and Press Play Studios, and with it cancelling the long delayed Fable Legends.
Microsoft Studios Europe general manager Hanno Lemke announced, “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.”
Hanno Lemke wrote on the Xbox Wire. “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.”
UK-based Lionhead made a name for itself with the Fable series of RPGs on Xbox, and its latest game, Fable Legends, was set to be a free-to-play mix of MOBA and tower defence for Xbox One and PC.
Meanwhile, Danish developer Press Play was working on Project Knoxville, a third-person action game project that was voted on by the studio’s fans.
Lemke’s announcement seems to hint that the two studios’ projects weren’t quite headed in the direction that Microsoft had intended or that interest on those games has waned.
“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,” Lemke said.