Microsoft Cancels Fable Legends, Closes Lionhead Studios

By Jason Winter, News Editor Posted: March 7, 2016

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.

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In this article: Fable Legends, Lionhead Studios, Microsoft.

About the Author

Jason Winter, News Editor

Jason Winter is a veteran gaming journalist, he brings a wide range of experience to MMOBomb, including two years with Beckett Media where he served as the editor of the leading gaming magazine Massive Online Gamer. He has also written professionally for several gaming websites.

More Stories by Jason Winter

grimsbane 9 years ago

Truly is a sad day, they didn't need to shut them down completely they could have just replaced the lead game directors over there and put ones in that would put the initiative forward to listen to the players to create a fable game that would have turned a good profit.

Kenespo 9 years ago

I'm sad about this because it would have been one of the few games I could have played with my Girlfriend because it had XboxOne and PC combined servers. :( do you guys know of any other good co-op game that do that?

Pipi 9 years ago

Lol, I didn't even know that this game was playable already.

ay 9 years ago

stop making retarded windows 10 exclusives for real its stupid af,most people use win7 and wont buy your shitty windows to play games like Gigantic or Fable,what are they thinking? Windows 10 exclusive is a f**cking joke.

Cyril 9 years ago

I didn't get to play this and i was really looking forward to it. This is sad new.

Todoran 9 years ago

and thats why i just use a windows 7 from tpb......

SirMordred 9 years ago

This could have been avoided but Lionhead was stubborn through and through. No apologies here, and it had to be said. Their kinect game was a disaster, fable 3 was a disaster, and fable legends, well that speaks for itself. They have demonstrated time and again that they do not care about their fans who begged them for a Fable 4 that would return to the roots of Fable 1 and 2. Nope, they just kept pushing out their new age drivel. I do feel sorry for the programmers, artists, developers who might be out of work, but not for the team of donkeys who lead the ship to an abyss. Best of luck to all, regardless...

RIP 9 years ago

RIP.

The Movies is one of my all time favorite Sim Games.

zxcc 9 years ago

I thought this will be first dx 12 game, i waiting it because to see full dx 12 potential over dx 11, but i think company is to amateur to implement it right, not so long ago played fable 3, its bugged, very badly optimized , console ports should never come to pc from amateurs, they should find better places in other companies i believe and not going to work for micro sh it.