Microsoft Cancels Fable Legends, Closes Lionhead Studios

Sad news this morning, as we've just learned that Microsoft will be shutting down UK-based Lionhead Studios and, in the process, ceasing development on the game developer's free-to-play co-op title Fable Legends.

Fable Legends was announced in 2013 as the next incarnation of the Fable series and was meant to be an online, multiplayer co-op RPG, where a few players would team up as heroes or take the role of a villain. Like similarly beleaguered Gigantic, it was announced as a Windows 10 exclusive last year, and had a few gameplay hooks that seemed interesting -- but apparently not interesting enough to get to market.

Lionhead Studios has a long history of making innovative, player-guided sandbox-y games, from Black & White to the Fable series to the lesser-known The Movies. If this is the end for the developer, it's a sad day, and we wish the best of luck for those affected.